Fiesta Kale Salad

Fiesta Kale Salad

1 bunch kale (about 9-10 large leaves)

1 red bell pepper, core and seeds removed, diced

3 tomatoes, diced

1 cucumber, peeled and diced

1/4 red onion, chopped

Dressing:

2 large avocados, pitted and peeled

juice from 1 lime

1/3 cup water

1/4 tsp of ground chipotle pepper (or more if you like spicy foods)

salt to taste

Remove tough stems from the kale and tear leaves into bite-size pieces. Wash the leaves and drain excess water. Place the kale into a large bowl.

Put all ingredients for the dressing into a blender and blend until smooth and creamy, adding more water if the dressing is too thick. Pour the dressing over kale leaves. Massage the dressing into kale with your hands, making sure each leaf is covered.

Add the the rest of the vegetables and toss with kale. season with salt to taste.

Marinated Collard Greens

This recipe was inspired by one of my favorite salads at Whole Foods hot/cold bar. Recently, I decided to start eating healthier and adding more unprocessed, whole foods into my diet. This is an amazing, delicious and pretty healthy raw salad. It is addictive :-)

Marinated Collard Greens

1 bunch of collard greens (about 8 large leaves), tough stems removed

1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced

1 large red bell pepper, cut into thin strips

1-2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 Tbs olive oil

2 Tbs Tamari sauce

salt and black pepper to taste

Cut collard greens into 1 inch thick, long strips. Place into a large bowl. Add red bell pepper and onion, and mix well.

In a small bowl combine lemon juice, olive oil, Tamari sauce, and minced garlic. Pour over the collard greens and veggies. Using your hands massage the dressing into the veggies well.

Refrigerate at least an hour before serving, or overnight.

Kale salad three ways (Vegan MoFo Day 26)

Here are three dressings that I use for kale salads when I am not making my favorite Garlicky Cheezy Kale. Each dressing will work for 1 bunch kale (about 9-10 leaves).

*Soy & Mustard Dressing

1/3 cup soy sauce

1 Tbs olive oil

4 Tbs yellow mustard

4 Tbs water

Blend until well combined.

*Lemony Dressing

Juice from 1 lemon

1 Tbs olive oil

salt to taste

Blend until well combined.

*Garlicky Lemon Dressing

Juice from 1 lemon

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

salt to taste

Blend well until combined.

Remove tough stems from the kale and tear leaves into bite-size pieces. Wash the leaves thoroughly and drain excess water. I used lettuce spinner to get my kale dry which made the dressing stick to each leaf nicely. Pour the dressing over kale leaves. Rub the dressing into kale with your hands, making sure each leaf is covered.

Vegan "Chicken" Salad-Vegan MoFo Day 16

Vegan "Chicken" Salad

2 cups TVP (textured vegetable protein)

4 cups fake chicken or vegetable broth

(I used 2 Edward & Sons Not-Chick'n bouillon cubes and 4 cups of water)

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp poultry seasoning (optional)

1/2 medium onion, finely diced

1/3 cup vegan mayo

2 Tbs dill pickles, finely chopped

1 Tbs lemon juice

1 Tbs Dijon mustard

1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped

salt and black pepper to taste

In a medium pot bring broth to a boil (or bring water to a boil and dissolve bouillon cubes in the boiling water). Add garlic powder, onion powder and poultry seasoning. Stir in the TVP. Lower the heat to medium low and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain excess liquid using a stainer. Cool completely before using in the salad.

In a large bowl mix TVP with the rest of the ingredients and stir well to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. This salad makes delicious and filling sandwiches. Serve with lettuce and tomatoes if desired.

Garlicky Cheezy Kale-Vegan MoFo Day 2

I love this salad! It is so tasty and nutritious, I can easily eat the whole thing in one day. I like to refrigerate it before eating it so the flavors can fully develop and blend nicely, but sometimes I cannot wait and eat it freshly made. It is good either way. The longer you refrigerate it for the more garlicky your salad will be.

I found that the best kale for this salad is either Lacinato or Red Kale, but you can use any kale you like. Do you like raw kale? Stay tuned for more massaged kale recipes.

Garlicky Cheezy Kale

1 bunch kale (about 9-10 large leaves)

4 Tbs tahini

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

5 Tbs water

2 Tbs nutritional yeast

salt to taste

Remove tough stems from the kale and tear leaves into bite-size pieces. Wash the leaves and drain excess water. Place the kale into a large bowl.

In a medium bowl blend tahini with water until smooth. Add the minced garlic and nutritional yeast and blend until smooth, adding more water if the dressing is too thick.

Pour the dressing over the kale. Rub the dressing into the kale with your hands, making sure that each leaf is covered with dressing. Season with salt to taste and refrigerate for an hour or overnight if desired.

Salad with a bacon that didn't squeal

I have tried most of the fake bacon products on the market. Some of them were quite weird. So far the best one I found was Fakin' Bacon (Organic Smoky Tempeh Strips) by Lightlife company. It is a bit pricey for a tempeh product, but it is totally worth it. It smells and looks almost like a real bacon and even gets crispy. I love this stuff. I use it for yummy "BLT" sandwiches and salads. You can buy a regular tempeh, thinly slice it, and marinate it in some soy sauce and "liquid smoke". However, it is not going to taste as authentic.

This is a very easy and tasty salad.

Toss some chopped lettuce with sliced radishes, sliced onions, marinated artichoke hearts, kalamata and green olives, and tomatoes. Top with several strips of fake bacon. You can use whatever dressing you like the most. I used a little bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

For the ones who don't know what tempeh is:

Tempeh is a meat alternative made from cooked and fermented soybeans. Most commercially prepared brands also add grains, such as brown rice, barley or millet. Tempeh has a very unique nutty flavor. Tempeh is a great source of protein, calcium and iron.