Kale Salad with Carrot Ginger Dressing

This happy, feel-good kale salad recipe is packed with colorful vegetables, crispy chickpeas, avocado, cranberries, and pepitas. Great for lunch!

How to Make A Massaged Kale Salad

The first trick to creating your kale salad is to massage the kale so that the bite-sized leaves become soft and tender. Here’s how to do it:

• Place bite-sized kale leaves into a large bowl and drizzle them with lemon juice, ½ teaspoon of olive oil, and a few pinches of salt.
• Use your hands to massage the leaves until they become soft and wilted and reduce in the bowl by about half.
• That’s it! You’re ready to assemble your kale salad.

Kale Salad Variations

• Add a sprinkle of feta cheese for a salty, tangy bite.
• I use raw beet in this recipe, but a few sliced roasted beets would be delicious instead.
• If you’re not a fan of chickpeas, try adding baked tempeh, tofu, or lentils for protein.
• Bulk up the salad by mixing in a grain like quinoa or farro.
• Switch up your dressing – turmeric tahini sauce, cashew cream, or scoops of pesto would be yummy alternatives to the carrot ginger dressing.

Ingredients

Carrot Ginger Dressing (See notes)

• ½ cup chopped roasted carrots, from 3/4 cup raw carrots
• 1/3 to ½ cup water
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 teaspoons minced ginger
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt

Salad

• 1 batch Roasted Chickpeas
• 1 bunch curly kale, stems removed, leaves torn
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small carrot, grated
• 1 small red beet, grated*
• ½ watermelon radish, very thinly sliced
• 1 avocado, cubed
• 2 tablespoons dried cranberries
• ¼ cup pepitas, toasted
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
• Sea salt & Freshly ground black pepper