Salad

Marinated Kale Salad

May 15, 2013

 

I’ve found a new TV show addiction. The Doctors. I’m obsessed – Thanks to PVR I can record it and watch every episode. I love the daily health tips, medical information and my fav, TMI Tuesdays.

Despite having a baking blog I eat 80% healthy most of the time. A lot of people wonder how I stay in shape and still maintain a baking blog. I usually say that I have very happy friends and family who get to eat all of the things seen on here, that way I’m not stuck at home with 2 dozen cupcakes or a cake. I also work out regularly at the gym, at home, and keep an active lifestyle such as going on daily walks with my dog and Adam too. I also currently play on a women’s rep fast pitch team with 2-3 games per week. I joke that I’m a crazy fast walker, and even at 5’5 I can out walk Adam, who is 6’3. Let’s just say I love to walk, and could walk forever.

My diet also consists of allergy-friendly foods. After finding out what I was really allergic to last year, I changed my diet in a big way. Therefore I can easily eliminate the foods I can’t eat, which also open up healthier options for me. I have a wheat/corn/dairy/egg allergy. So, I eliminated a lot of breads and starchy carbs, along with corn and fillers found in lots of processed foods. We eat things like zucchini pasta and burgers without a bun, and eliminated dairy all together (no cheese except goat cheese occasionally, and almond/coconut milk). Lately I’ve been subbing coconut flour, almond meal, homemade wheat-free oat flour, and rice flour in all of my baking. I’ve also included coconut oil for healthy fats. You can find recipes like wheat-free Banana Brownies here, Wheat-Free Dairy-Free and Gluten Free chocolate chip cookies here, almost-vegan cowboy cookies, paleo pumpkin pie, 5-ingredient date bars, protein pods and dairy-free Banana Ice Cream here. I also eat out at a restaurant less than 5 times a month probably, which limits my processed, and high-fats intake which restaurants use.

For breakfast I usually have a green smoothie, or oatmeal with banana cinnamon and almond butter. On the weekends I wait until I’m hungry to eat breakfast, which is sometimes lunch. I’m not a big breakfast person. I’ll have fresh fruit like cantaloupe or a banana sometimes and that’s it. I’ve made some two-ingredient banana pancakes before, you can get the recipe here if you love big breakfasts! When I’m feeling in the mood on a Sunday for a brunch feel, I sometimes make a big frittata for Adam and I as well, you can get the recipe for that here.

For lunch pretty much every. single. day, I eat some sort of salad or veggies. I’m not a big condiment person (aside from mustard and ketchup on burgers), so I don’t overload my salads with heavy dressings, and I never buy veggie dip – just eat those bad boys on their own! I also have a dairy allergy so it keeps a lot of those saturated fats away such as mayo and heavy cream based dips/dressings.

Most nights during the winter we would eat soup (pumpkin turkey chili, kale and bean soup etc) which are chalk full of vegetables. In the spring and summer we switch gears and it becomes salad & BBQ weather. Which is great because Adam isn’t much of a cook, but he mans the BBQ during the summer which frees me up.

This salad is inspired by one of my favourite Vegan and healthy living blogs, Healthy Happy Life by Kathy Patalsky. I have been silently stalking her website for months but hadn’t tried any of the recipes yet – and now I’ve made two in the last few days. This salad is Ah-mazing. I LOVE a good salad, and love kale. I usually toss kale into smoothies, but Adam wasn’t a fan of it in regular salads because of it’s harder texture, but you just have to ‘massage’ it or marinate it for a while to soften it up, while at the same time being crisp and fresh. Kale is also a POWERHOUSE of nutrients packed into a single cup serving.

Image via HHL

We bought a new BBQ last week and we had to ‘christen’ it. Adam and I are both super stoked on the new BBQ. We had both our parents over for dinner and made chicken legs (marinated in Trader Joe’s Soyaki sauce marinade) along with potatoes and this salad.

This salad is so, so good. Definitely a great summer salad to keep on file for pot-lucks and summer get togethers. The  best thing is that it gets better as it sits, so you can actually make a salad the night before and it’ll be good to go for dinner. I made it in the morning before dinner. Another favourite summer salad of mine is Marinated Quinoa Veggie Salad.

Power Kale Salad
dressing based off this recipe here and here

Ingredients for Salad:

  • 1-2 bunches of Kale, washed and chopped with stems discarded
  • 1 zucchini, julienned/shredded
  • 2-3 carrots, julienned/shredded
  • 1 medium red onion, diced
  • shredded brussels sprouts
  • sunflower seeds
  • pumpkin seeds
  • cranberries/raisins

In large bowl, combine the zucchini and carrot. If you don’t own a mandolin, you can chop the zucchini and carrot as well or grate them.

Top with onion, chopped kale and brussels sprouts. Set aside.

*Note: I add the raisins and seeds just before I’m going to serve the salad to keep them crunchy*

Ingredients for Salad Dressing:

Tangy Tahini Dressing

  • 2  1/2 Tbsp creamy tahini
  • 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 3 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 2-3 Tsp agave syrup
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp. Olive oil

In measuring cup combine all dressing ingredients, and whisk with fork to combine. You can add more/less of anything if you want it thicker, or if you like your salad heavily dressed. Drizzle on top of prepared salad and mix together completely.

Place prepared salad in the fridge covered, for at least an hour or more, or overnight. When you are going to serve it, toss in the seeds and cranberries. Feel free to mix in other nuts/add ins as well.

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4 Comments

  • Reply Aunt Weez May 18, 2013 at 2:21 PM

    Hi Lou, well I just came back from the farmers market at the Quay and the Kale is very tender as it is a just picked crop. The organic farm is in Langley. The kale is lush and tender not the tougher type we get in the stores now. Thought I would mention it. I made a green salsa with Jalopeno, cilantro, kale, garlic, lime juice zapped it in the food processor. Was very spicy and good with scrambled type eggs or whatever. Stays in the fridge, and it keeps lovely vibrant green! Hugs

    • Reply Alicia May 23, 2013 at 10:45 AM

      interesting! I like the crunchy leaves, then when you marinate it it gets softer, but still crisp. the salsa sounds delicious!

  • Reply Brooke Schweers May 20, 2013 at 3:05 PM

    This salad looks so healthy and inviting. A huge power bowl of nutritional goodness! I have kale growing in my backyard so I am very excited to try this soon 🙂

    • Reply Alicia May 23, 2013 at 10:44 AM

      Thanks Brooke! I wish I had a backyard to grow kale! I have some berries on our deck, and herbs. I used to have a small pot of lettuce too.

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