Wednesday, March 25, 2009

sprouts & kale salad (w/ creamy dressing)

i've only recently tried kale, and i wasn't sure i was going to like it. i don't know why, i just had a food prejudice. but lucky for me, i forged ahead and found out that it is a pretty tasty little green.

  • 1 cup of sprouts (i used lentil, red & green pea)
  • 2 cups kale
  • salad fixins: tomatoes, cucumber, etc.
for the creamy tahini dressing:
  • 1 tablespoon white miso
  • 1 ½ tablespoons tahini
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 ½ tablespoons sesame oil
  • 1/2 tablespoon stoneground mustard
  • water to thin
you can buy sprouts in most produce sections, or just sprout them yourself. i don't have a fancy method of doing this. i soak my uncooked beans in a quart mason jars for about 8 hours. then i lay a damp tea towel in a colander, and dump in the beans, seeds, etc. i use the edges of the towel to fold over the top, and rinse the sprouts every couple of hours. then they just sit on my kitchen counter and i re-rinse about every 3 hours or so, keeping them moist. i usually sprout for a couple days before eating, making sure to rinse regularly.

when you prepare your salad, you will want to massage the kale for about 5 minutes with olive oil and/or lemon juice. the first time i ate kale i didn't know to do this, and it was like trying to chew a porcupine made out of cardboard. (thanks for the tip, lauren!) the kale should retain its crunchiness, but lose some of the extra-stiffness. toss in the sprouts, and whatever veggies you want for your salad. whisk the dressing ingredients in a jar or bowl, using as much water as needed to thin.

enjoy!

23 comments:

Virginia said...

i don't care for raw kale too much but i might try it in a salad with the olive oil/lemon juice "massage" hehe!

Anonymous said...

Kale has been getting very trendy lately. I still haven't tried it but will soon. The salad sounds very good!

Sal - AlienOnToast said...

thanks for passing on the tip about massaging the kale. that sounds fun! haha.

i keep seeing sprouts everywhere and thinking I need to try doing some sprouting myself!!

Lauren said...

I am glad it worked out for you! :) Looks so yummy, I will have to try that dressing. Kale rocks!

AnuSriram said...

Wow.. thats lovely! Healthy too!

Kana said...

I make kale stir fry often. Yet to try raw kale...

allularpunk said...

i've been meaning to make a raw kale salad recently, but haven't gotten around to it. this looks so yummy! thanks for telling us how you sprout your seeds/beans. i honestly didn't know how to do it! it sounds super easy, though.

Vegan_Noodle said...

I was also very hesistant to try kale, but with the right sauce (like your creamy dressing!)... I love it!

Jen said...

i impale, you impale, we impale for yummy kale! i love kale. to make salads, i flash steam it in super boiling water for about 2/3 minutes instead of massaging it.

Bianca said...

I've never tried the massage technique but I think that would make raw kale much more palatable. I love it cooked! And make-your-own sprouts are sooo much better!

jessy said...

thanks for the tip on massaging the kale, miss v.! gonna have to try doing something like this - i love a tasty salad - especially one with tahini! mmmmm! and i loooove me some miso, too! yay! we grow out own sprouts at home, too! i love them so much!

glad you liked kale! wahoooooooo! it's one of my favorite greens!

Anonymous said...

I adore both kale and sprouts- This salad sounds perfect for me!

A_and_N said...

I have some Kale in the fridge! This's make for a perfect lunch tomorrow!

Chris said...

Whoa, I've never heard of the kale massage tip - thanks for that! The tahini dressing sounds delicious; never thought of combining tahini and mustard before :)

Anonymous said...

Thanks! Yeah, banana & peanut butter is pretty much my fav food combo. It's seriously AMAZING!

Looks like a wonderful, healthy recipe :)

Amy said...

Mmm this salad looks awesome! I can't get Kale but I'm sure I'll be trying that dressing out!

Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen said...

I just tried kale recently myself and discovered that I really like it. I also just started doing bean sprouts at home. I have really grown fond of them!

MeloMeals said...

Awesome that you are eating raw kale! I just love it.. it is addictive.

veggie belly said...

i love this dreassing! tahini is such a wonderful way to add creaminess without adding dairy.

ChocolateCoveredVegan said...

You had me at "creamy"

Anonymous said...

I love kale and miss it so! It's soooooo healthy, too! I admit I don't massage my greens like I should!

Lisa said...

great recipe! Kale is one of my favorite veggies.

Kiki Danger said...

this looks incredibly yummy!