Description
Kale Thai salad is packed with veggies, and juicy mango. It’s tossed with a peanut dressing that takes the salad over the top. This vegan salad is satisfying enough to be enjoyed as an entrée salad.
Ingredients
Peanut Dressing
- 1 to 3 garlic cloves
- 1 inch fresh ginger, peeled
- 1/4 cup natural creamy peanut butter
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce (or coconut aminos)
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- optional: 2 teaspoons sriracha
- 1/2 cup filtered water
Salad
- 1 10 ounce bag of frozen, shelled edamame (organic is best when possible)
- 1 bunch kale, washed, stemmed and roughly chopped (See notes)
- 1/2 large seedless cucumber, sliced (if not seedless, then use a spoon to scoop out the seeds before slicing)
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 2 carrots, shredded (I use the shredding blade on my food processor)
- 3/4 cup purple cabbage, shredded (I buy pre-shredded at the grocery store, you can use the slicing blade on your food processor to shred your own)
- 3 to 4 green onions, thinly sliced, both dark green, and light greed parts
- large handful (about 1 cup) cilantro, roughly chopped (I like to include the stems when they are tender)
Toppings/last minute mix-ins
- 2 mangoes, peeled and diced
- 1/2 cup roasted peanuts, or cashes, roughly crushed/chopped
Instructions
- Make the peanut dressing: Add the ginger and garlic to a food processor. Pulse until the ginger and garlic are broken down into little tiny pieces, scrape down the sides as needed. Next, add the peanut butter, maple syrup, soy sauce, sesame oil, and sriracha – pulse until well combined. Then stream in the filtered water. Allow the food processor to run for a few more minutes to make sure everything is well combined. Taste, and adjust as needed. Add more maple syrup if you want it sweeter, or more soy sauce for more saltiness etc. Alternately, you could grate the ginger and garlic into a mixing bowl, and then whisk everything together. Transfer the dressing to a bowl, or jar and set aside.
- Massage the kale: (see notes about why this step is important) – add the chopped, dried kale to a large mixing bowl. Add about 1/3 cup of the peanut dressing to the kale. Use your clean hands to massage the kale. YES! Literally massage the kale until it has reduced in size, and looks like it has broken down (see photos in the post). Set the kale aside. Don’t worry, it won’t wilt sitting in the dressing, it will continue to soften – that’s what’s so great about using kale in a salad. No gross soggy salads.
- Cook the edamame: Follow your package directions to cook the edamame. I like to boil mine (takes 5 mins). Make sure to rinse the edamame in cool water to cool the edamame down.
- Finish chopping the veggies: While the edamame is cooking continue to chop all your veggies – cucumber, bell pepper, carrots, purple cabbage, green onions, and cilantro – as instructed above. Once they are chopped you can place them in the bowl that has the kale in it.
- Toss together: Once the edamame is cooked and has cooled down add that to the mixing bowl along with the remainder of the salad. Drizzle the remaining peanut dressing over the entire salad, and toss until everything is well combined.
- Finish: If serving this salad to guests, transfer the salad to a serving bowl and sprinkle the chopped mango, and the crushed peanuts on top. If you plan to keep leftovers (see below), than add just enough mango, and just enough peanuts to the top of each individual bowl, as you desire eating in that moment. Serve, and enjoy.
- How to store leftovers: This salad makes great leftovers, I KNOW a salad that makes good leftovers is the BEST! Just make sure you store it WITHOUT the mango and the nuts, only add those just before you storing, otherwise they get soggy and mushy. You can store the chopped mango in a separate airtight container so it’s ready to go. The salad will last in the fridge for 1 to 2 days.
Notes
Gluten free: Be sure to use gluten free soy sauce, or coconut aminos in place of soy sauce in the peanut dressing.
Soy free: Omit the edamame, which are soy beans, and use coconut aminos in place of soy sauce. You could add some cooked, cooled shrimp for protein in place of the edamame.
Peanut free: Swap the peanut butter with almond butter, cashew butter, or tahini paste. Use roasted cashews, or almonds instead of peanuts.
Kale prep: I find it a big help to wash, stem, chop, and dry my kale when I bring it home from the grocery store. I store it in an airtight container with a few paper towels. This way I have one less thing to prep when making the salad.
Kale massage step: If you’re not a fan of kale salads, it’s probably because the kale hasn’t been massaged. It might seem weird, but don’t skip this step. Massaging the kale breaks down the fiber, making the kale less tough and more pleasant to eat. It also helps to release it’s bitter flavor.
We find this salad is filling enough as it is. You get plenty of protein from the edamame, peanut butter, and peanuts – and a lot of fiber from the kale and veggies. It makes a large salad for 4 servings. We enjoy eating half of it as leftovers. So good!
