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Massaged Umami Kale Salad
10 min
Salad
Servings
Total
10 minPrep
10 minContains
soy
sesame
gluten
Swap out
tree nut
Free from
peanut
Ingredients
Salad & add-ins
-
6 cups (150 g)kale, chopped
-
2 tsp (10 mL)toasted sesame oil
-
-
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3 Tbsp (20 g)slivered toasted almonds
Dressing
-
1small shallot, finely minced
-
1clove garlic, crushed
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½lemon, juiced
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2 Tbsp (30 mL)Asian sesame paste†
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½ Tbsp (7 mL)rice vinegar
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½ tsp
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1 pinchground black pepper
Directions
- Wash the kale and dry well*.
- Place the kale in a large bowl and massage the sesame oil into the leaves with your hands for 1 - 2 minutes. This helps to soften the stiff leaves.
- In a separate small bowl, mix together the dressing ingredients.
- Pour the dressing over the kale, and toss to coat.
- Toss in the add-ins. Enjoy!
Notes
- †Asian sesame paste differs from tahini, offering a richer, more intense flavour. It's made from deeply toasted sesame seeds, unlike tahini's raw or lightly toasted seeds. Find it at your local Asian supermarket.
- * Washing cut or torn kale leaves help to wash out bitter compounds.
Storage
- Store the kale and dressing separately in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- If already mixed, best if enjoyed within 1 - 2 days.
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Nutrition info
We believe that focusing on numbers can harm our relationship with food. Instead, our philosophy is to Nourish the Cells & the Soul. If you require specific nutrition information due to a medical condition, please consult with a dietitian or physician. The nutritional information provided is composed with the utmost care. However, we cannot guarantee the correctness of the displayed values, see also our disclaimer.
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Discussion & Rating
This dressing is SO good, you could put it on anything - but it's lovely on massaged kale. There's some prep in getting the kale salad-ready, so be prepared for it to take longer than you might expect. I doubled the recipe and found that measuring kale by cups is hard - I made a double batch of salad dressing and ended up making a third, single batch to make sure the kale was dressed properly (that it squished when it was fully dressed, but with no extra dressing at the bottom). I had to adjust my dressing as my lemon was quite large - I tasted it before adding to the kale and adjusted with more soy sauce and maple syrup until it was tangy but not puckery.
Again, could eat the dressing on toast. Or a boot.
This dressing is bombbb! 🤤 So yum! I added avocado to mine for extra textural variety, but this dressing is outstanding and what makes the salad! Shred the Dino kale as small as possible and really massage in the oil because it otherwise feels like cow ruffage 😅
So delish!! I used a ready made fruit and nut mix for the topping, which included all of the ingredients in the recipe plus dried apple, coconut flakes, and cashews - YUM
I just made this for a dinner with friends and even my salad hater friends loved it! I made one true to the recipe and one for my gluten free friends and swapped out the soy sauce with coconut aminos. Someone who tried both said she didn't notice a big difference.
What kind of kale is best to use for this salad? Thanks!
Delicious!
Garlicky but delish!
I love this recipe!! I converted to massaged kale long ago, and this dressing is killer. I had some leftover pomegranate seeds so I used those instead of craisins. highly recommend this recipe!
This is soooo good! I make it at least once a week at the moment, we’re obsessed with the flavour and goodness that’s in it!
Took this to a Christmas party last night and everyone commented how much they loved it and they all wanted the recipe! This is a new go to staple for us!
This was sooo yummy. I made this as a side salad with the kimchi grilled cheese recipe from the app. The flavors go so well together 😍.
(On second thought, hopefully that wasn’t a weird combo 🫠)
Thank you for the recipes :))
The cranberries in this was delicious! Any ideas for protein you would recommend adding to make it a full meal?
OMG this is going to be my winter salad. It's so savory.
I tried massaged kale once and it was still really hard to bite. With your picture and additionnal advises, I know that I have to cut it in small pieces if I want to enjoy it.
Made it with friends, we love it.
Loved by everyone in the family. Even by a 2-year-old 😄
I used a mixed lettuce because kale is not in season and it was absolutely delicious.
This is my favorite salad, we added some quinoa
I slightly altered the recipe to fit what I had and also added some seven-grain vegan "chicken tenders"- and wow- this is the best thing I've tasted in a long time. I love kale but never thought it'd be this good. Thank you for this recipe (and the constant inspiration)!!! <3
It’s the first time I had such a lovely time eating kale! It’s very yummy the sauce it’s great and it feels very nourishing and healthy! Thank you! Never thought I’d massage kale haha! Ps: I added blueberries that I had left from the morning blueberries oats and omg! So good!
Better than I expected!! Definitely a repeat salad recipe!
I don’t usually have miso paste, is there a way to substitute this? :)
This was a quick and delicious salad. As I do not cook with oil, I used the lemon juice from the other half of the lemon to massage the kale.
Hello! This looks really delicious but the old version of this recipe was my absolute favorite thing on your website and a comfort food I look forward to after a bad day, you wouldn’t happen to have that version available somewhere would you? I’ve made it so many times I want to believe I could recreate from memory, but would love to be able to verify. Eager to try the new version as well, but would be devastated to never be able to eat the older one again.
Wow!
I thought kale was this annoying über healthy veg that no one actually liked but raved about anyway, and today I tried this recipe and this is probably the best salad I've ever eaten!
Blown away :)
This recipe gave me a new perspective on kale. I don't like dried fruits so I usually put some other veggies as toppings like thinly sliced radishes or carrots which work pretty well with the kale.
I cannot believe how delicious this simple salad was. Will definitely make this one again. Thank you for another great recipe!
Love this!
This recipe is so good! I often struggle to make a salad that I find to be delicious, but this one is so good! I love the kale in it, which is something I don't normally eat. I also add some roasted tofu to this, just to make it more of a meal :)
Thanks for this recipe. I never knew I wasn’t treating kale right. Cheers!