Sometimes I just really want to dive into a big salad. I feel you, Elaine. This Massaged Kale Ribbon Vegan Caesar Salad is the big salad I want. It’s decadent, satisfying, and can be made ahead or without too much hassle on the fly.
This salad is:
- Made with oil-free dressing
- Easily modified by adding a vegan protein
- Nutrient-dense
- Zesty & garlicky
- Easy to roll into a wrap
What kind of kale?
I recommend Dino kale, also called lacinato kale. I like calling it Dino kale because it reminds me of the pet dinosaur on The Flintstones.
The curly stuff is a bit much for me. I’ve done it, I just wouldn’t seek it out. If you don’t really like kale, you can use chopped Romaine lettuce or a mix of greens you like.
Why massage the kale?
Obviously the kale deserves a little pampering every now and then, just like the rest of us. Massaging the kale makes it less tough, less bitter, and more pleasurable to eat.
Proteins & Add-ons:
- Addictive Coconut Bacon Flakes
- Pan-roasted chickpeas. I just dry roast in a pan with salt and pepper
- Oven-Baked Sriracha Tofu
- Your favorite vegan faux chicken product
- Homemade Garlic Nooch Croutons
- Fresh chopped tomatoes or roasted veggies
This Massaged Kale Ribbon Vegan Caesar Salad is dressed with Creamy Vegan Caesar Salad Dressing and topped with 5-Minute Garlic Hemp Seed Parm a.k.a. Garlic Shake.
Let’s Make Massaged Kale Ribbon Vegan Caesar Salad
Make the Caesar dressing
Add all dressing ingredients into a jar or large mug. Mix well with a fork or whisk until creamy. Adjust flavors and thin with water if desired. Cover and place the dressing in the fridge. Additionally, place your salad plates or bowls in the freezer if you feel fancy. It’s very fine dining to serve a salad on a chilled plate.
Make the hemp seed parm
Make the 5-Minute Garlic Hemp Seed Parm a.k.a. Garlic Shake by putting all ingredients into the food processor, reserving 1/4 cup of the hemp seeds. Pulse until sand-like. Next, add the reserved 1/4 cup of hemp seeds to the food processor and lightly pulse once or twice. You want to combine the remaining hemp seeds but leave them whole to give it a varied texture. Adjust salt or add more hemp seeds to lessen the salt, if preferred.
Slice those kale ribbons
Wash and slice kale into approximately 1/4″ ribbons.
You can de-stem the kale prior to doing this. I only cut out big, firm stem pieces from the bottom of the leaves.
Cut the kale in 3 – 4 batches, placing the cut kale ribbons into a large one-gallon ziplock bag or large bowl as you go. If using a bowl, massage kale between your fingers or crush it in your fists. However, there’s no need to do this if using a ziplock bag.
Dress & massage
Add 3/4 of dressing to the bag, squeeze out most of the air and work the dressing it into the kale, massaging it until evenly distributed.
Open the bag and stir with a spatula to help coat the kale. Taste the kale and decide if you’d like to add more dressing. Add more dressing if desired and stir, squeeze and shake the bag to coat the kale.
If using a large bowl, mix the dressing into the pre-massaged kale, taste, and add more dressing if needed.
Plate & serve
Divide dressed kale onto serving plates or bowls. You may need to remove the serving vessels from the freezer first. Top with 5-Minute Garlic Hemp Seed Parm a.k.a. Garlic Shake. Optional add-ons include Addictive Coconut Bacon Flakes, Homemade Garlicky Nooch Croutons, Oven-Baked Sriracha Tofu, or dry pan-roasted chickpeas.
Make-Ahead Instructions
Make the dressing and hemp seed parm and store in separate air-tight containers in the fridge. Wash and slice the kale into ribbons and place it into a one-gallon ziplock bag and store it in the fridge. When ready to eat, assemble the salad. You might need to add a little water to the dressing because it thickens in the fridge.
Massaged Kale Ribbon Vegan Caesar Salad
Ingredients
Creamy Vegan Caesar Salad Dressing
- 1/4 cup cashew butter
- 2 TBSPs lemon juice About half a lemon worth of juice, depending on the size and juiciness of the lemon. You may want extra.
- 1 TBSP raw apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons prepared mustard any variety: yellow, dijion etc.
- 2 teaspoons coconut aminos
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper more if desired
- 1/4 teaspoon salt fine; more if desired
- 2 – 3 TBSPs water more if needed to thin dressing
5-Minute Garlic Hemp Seed Parm a.k.a. Garlic Shake
- 1 TBSP minced garlic I use jarred minced garlic or fresh
- 8 whole Brazil nuts shelled, raw, un-roasted, unsalted
- ½ cup divided hemp seeds (a.k.a hemp hearts) divided (half go in the food processor right away, the other half are lightly pulsed at the end)
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast unfortified or non-fortified is strongly recommended the fortified stuff can taste synthetic and vitamin-y
- ½ – ¾ teaspoon salt fine
Greens
- 2 – 3 bunches flat dino kale, a little under a pound, also called Lacinato kale, sub other lettuce if kale isn't your jam, curly kale is a little tough and thus not recommended **weighing recommended, bunches vary, go light here if you like lots of dressing**
Instructions
- Add all dressing ingredients into a jar or large mug. Mix well with a fork or whisk until creamy. Adjust flavors and thin with water if desired. Cover and place the dressing in the fridge. Additionally, place your salad plates or bowls in the freezer if you feel fancy. It's very fine dining to serve salads on chilled plates.
- Make the 5-Minute Garlic Hemp Seed Parm a.k.a. Garlic Shake by putting all ingredients into the food processor, reserving 1/4 cup of the hemp seeds. Pulse until sand-like. Next, add the reserved 1/4 cup of hemp seeds to the food processor and lightly pulse once or twice. You want to combine the remaining hemp seeds but leave them whole to give it a varied texture. Adjust salt or add more hemp seeds to lessen the salt, if preferred.
- Wash and slice kale into approximately 1/4" ribbons. You can de-stem the kale prior to doing this. I only cut out big, firm stem pieces from the bottom of the leaves. Cut the kale in 3 – 4 batches, placing the cut kale ribbons into a large one-gallon ziplock bag or large bowl as you go. If using a bowl, massage kale between your fingers or crush it in your fists.
- Add 3/4 of dressing to the bag, squeeze out most of the air and work the dressing it into the kale, massaging it until evenly distributed. Open the bag and stir with a spatula to help coat the kale. Taste the kale and decide if you'd like to add more dressing. Add more dressing if desired and stir, squeeze and shake the bag to coat the kale. If using a large bowl, mix the dressing into the pre-massaged kale, taste, and add more dressing if needed.
- Divide dressed kale onto serving plates or bowls. You may need to remove the serving vessels from the freezer first. Top with 5-Minute Garlic Hemp Seed Parm a.k.a. Garlic Shake. Optional add-ons include Addictive Coconut Bacon Flakes, Homemade Garlicky Nooch Croutons, Oven-Baked Sriracha Tofu, or dry pan-roasted chickpeas.
Notes
Nutrition
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Recipe adapted from the Kate Flowers cookbook Freedom Foods 1.0.
If you enjoyed this recipe, you might also like this Oil-Free Flaked Crab-less Vegan Salad.
Did you make this big salad?
How was it? Any add-ons or did you keep it simple? Tell me about it in the comments below.
Great recipe. I really loved the hemp parm. I did not have any cashews so I used full fat coconut milk and it worked great!
Yum! Sounds great, Liz. Thank you for your kind comment.