As I type this post, we’re getting a snow storm. It’s so beautiful out, but I can’t help but dream of the summer. I can barely remember what the forest looks like all green and full of life. Right now, it’s stark white and eerily still.
I don’t know about you, but I‘ve got a bad case of cabin fever lately. I get this urge to run races just to get outside, declutter the house, and buy a huge pineapple at the grocery store. I also feel like I’m slowly going to go stir crazy if I have to plant my butt on the couch for a second longer. I really can’t bring myself to watch another reality show either. I mean, Ice T and Coco…really?
I’d rather pick lint off my sweater.
But I find myself watching it anyways, while I pick lint off my sweater and tell Sketchie to stop eating it.
Mmm, lint. Yum.
Then I come to my senses and remember that Up All Night is on and everything is well in the world again.
If I’m feeling really desperate for warm weather, sometimes I’ll eat food that reminds me of the tropics. The tropical fruit that I usually pass up at the grocery store, is now a craving that can’t be ignored. It’s a splurge that just might save my sanity, at least for now.
Tropical Mango, Banana, Pineapple Kale Salad with Creamy Pineapple Lime Coconut Dressing
Yield
2 large or 4 small salads
Prep time
Cook time
0 minutes
Total time
The next best thing to going on a tropical vacation. Let’s call this a staycation salad, shall we?
Ingredients
For the dressing
- 1 cup chopped fresh pineapple
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 3/4 cup coconut milk (I used So Delicious original, see below)
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
- 1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
For the salad
- 5 cups packed kale, stems removed and roughly torn
- 1 ripe mango, chopped
- 1/2 large banana, chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh pineapple, chopped
- 1 tbsp shredded dried coconut
- 1/4 cup roughly chopped macadamia nuts
Directions
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
This dressing is something I whipped up on a whim to pair with the flavours of the fruit. I usually have the hardest time making salad dressing (I’m so picky with them), but I loved this one immediately. It’s one of those dressings you can eat with a spoon too…seriously.
I used chia seeds to help thicken the salad dressing. They probably aren’t absolutely necessary, but they do help. I’m really not a fan of using things like xanthum gum as thickeners, so chia seeds are a nice, all-natural alternative.
Blend the dressing ingredients and let it sit and thicken while you prepare the kale. Now, pour about 2/3 of the dressing onto the kale leaves and massage it in with your fingers, letting it marinate while you chop the fruit and nuts.
Mix it all together, squeeze on some lime juice, and you’re good to go!
When I eat this salad, I don’t see a snow storm outside.
I see a sunny white sand beach, clear blue sky, and glistening turquoise water. I’m sitting at a beachside bar enjoying this salad with a sarong tied around my waist and a wide rimmed hat.
You are all there enjoying the beach too. HI!
We’re rehydrating with a tropical smoothie made with 1 cup coconut milk, 1/2 cup frozen pineapple, 1 frozen banana, and 1 tbsp fresh lime juice. Add some rum too…we’re on the beach, after all.
Life is good.
When I wake up from my dream, I feel like Cinderella after the clock struck midnight. Only instead of a glass slipper, all I’m left with is some questionable peach nail polish and a kitchen that needs a major cleaning. Pineapple juice is STICKY.
Should I wear my wide rimmed hat while I shovel the driveway?
It’s 85 degrees out today where I live in Florida! This salad looks delish! I might just pick up some mangos from the store this weekend.
This is the perfect gloomy weather cure! Love it!! And, I’ve wanted to start watching Up All Night for a while. That’s the one with Maya Rudolph, right?
yes, she is AMAZING!!! Actually im in love with the entire cast. Eric and I said it’s the best new comedy since The Office :)
Yum! Love the look of the tropical salad. I’m all about pretending it is a different season through flavours. A little coconut here, a little pineapple there, a bit of mango and voila- you are back in the tropics.
awwww although snow sounds wonderful right now, from the way you describe it, it must be torturous! But great thing you have this amazing recipe ;) It sounds really refreshing~And omshhhh Sketchie looks so.adorable.in.that.picture!!!! Eeeek.
ps: you seriously crack me up, Angela! “picking lint off my sweater” :P
My backyard looks just like yours today!! We weren’t expecting snow at all so it was definitely a surprise to wake up to!
How colorful! Some of my favorite fruits paired with some healthy kale? I think so. Thank you for the never-ending delicious recipes, Angela :)
I juuuust bought a pineapple, mangos, kale, and bananas yesterday – I think it must be a sign! =)
I am so with you on the xanthan gum hate! Especially because it completely upsets my stomach. I’m going to have to try using chia seeds to thicken things!
This looks amazing, I can’t wait to try it out over the weekend! I love tropical flavors, especially pineapple (I have a similar tropical oatmeal recipe, minus the kale and salad dressing, lol). YUM!
Ok, I made this salad yesterday and it was amazing! Even my non-healthy eating fiance (who took one look and said he would only commit to trying a small bite) was telling friends about how good this salad was. All of the flavors blend together so well and the dressing is delicious. I made a few substitutions to try to use up what I had on hand- spinach instead of kale (wish I had kale right now!), lemon juice instead of lime (thank you Costco for 4 lb boxes of Meyer Lemons), and pistachios instead of macadamia nuts. I can’t wait to make this again with the original ingredients! Just in case I haven’t conveyed how much I liked this salad, I actually finished off the leftovers for breakfast (I just considered it a deconstructed green monster). :)
haha awesome Tracy!! Glad you enjoyed it :)
I have the hardest time during the winter too – I hate being cooped up inside, but I do not deal with cold well. I’m a total baby! This recipe totally inspired me – I think I need to spice things up and stop wallowing!
I love how you brought the tropics to the tundra that is Canada! Thanks for warming up my day with this awesome salad. I can’t wait to give it a try. I’m always looking for new ways to dress up my greens. This sounds heavenly! Have a great day out by the beach :)
Haha it always kills me how my cats just eat clumps of their own fur or lint around – so gross. And then of course there’s the inevitable hairball that I have to deal with so…yeah.
I love how fresh this salad looks! I always enjoy combining fruit in salads. Yum :).
I’m so sorry you’re cold, Angela. (But you’ve got a delicious way of taking care of it!)
Hmmm… I guess you’ll just have to come live with me in LA for a bit! ;)
This sounds soooooo good Angela! I have made your weekend glo kale salad multiple times and it is always a hit. Can’t wait to try this one!
Your recipes are my all-time favourite. I have made so many of them over and over and over!
I’m in Sydney Australia, so obviously it’s summer right now but I’m surprised you could buy a fresh mango. It’s impossible to buy mangoes in winter here. In fact they’re really only available for 3 months of the year.
Hey Angela, I love your blog. I’ve recently started my own about my journey with health – nutrition – allergies / candida / eating disorder and how to get comfortable in your body (and mind ..) I’ve been wanting to do so for years but never had the courage. Your blog is a real inspiration! I’ve just stumbled upon it today :-)
Thanks Leanne! Off to check out your blog… :)
If you’re on there…would you mind to vote on my poll? :) http://eatandgetmoving.wordpress.com/2012/02/20/where-to-begin/ :) I don’t have much content yet but I’m passioned to start :) thank you! love from Leanne, Holland
voted :)
OMG, besides cherries…pinapple is my fruit of choice…amazing!! This looks like a hawaiian sunset…waiting for me to bask in it……perfection!
xxoo
My roomie and I are obsessed with coconut and recently kale. I have to make this for her!!
Oh my goodness! That salad looks amazing. And the smoothie! I have never thought of freezing pineapple for some reason, but I will be doing that tomorrow. And I love that nail polish too! I bought some nice organic kale yesterday, so I guess I know how I’ll be using it… Thanks Angela, and good luck on all your upcoming races!
I loe that nailpolish color. It looks so perfect for when the weather starts to get warmer! Fruit in salad has got to be one of my favorite things, so that recipe looks delicious to me!
The dressing looks divine…I will definitely try! And those nails- fab…I’ll fix myself a salad and join you on the beach.
This looks divine!
Can’t wait to make this – just discovered kale salads and can’t get enough!
I always crave summer this time of year and your salad is perfect! It looks amazing!!
Love the recipe and the polish!!! You might be interested in checking out cheeky monkey polishes if you haven’t already!
(http://www.cheekymonkeycosmetics.com/)
I’m glad I’m not the only one! On my “To Do” list for the weekend I found myself adding things like clean out and scrub entire fridge, clean cupboards, and reorganize bathroom lotions and potions. Early onset spring cleaning I guess.
I was super disappointed when I went to the grocery store yesterday because pineapple was on sale and I also have been craving it, but they didn’t have any! I struggle with meal planning this time of year because half of me wants to be eating fruits and salads, the other half of me is still in hot, comfort food mode. Come on summer!
This salad looks so good – especially in the snowy winter months!
Hi Angela! I LOVE your Tropical Mango, Banana, Pineapple Kale Salad with Creamy Pineapple Lime Coconut Dressing recipe, and simply cannot wait to make it today! Watching the snowflakes fall from my window, it will be wonderful to imagine that I’m on the beach, after all! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe. Could you please drop me an email so we can chat?
Oh, and Sketchie is so adorable! He looks a lot like our cat, Suzy, who loves eating lint, too.
What a bright spot in a cold wintery day….LOVE the nail polish!
Thanks for posting a pic of Sketchie he he Missed his cute face :)
I absolutely adore your blog! Can you please write a post on starting a blog and how to build it? I will love to hear tips from you. Thank you!!
Hey Christina, Thank you so much. I think I wrote some on my FAQ page but as for a “how to” post I will keep that in mind. Thanks for the suggestion!
Oh yum this salad looks great Angela. I’m in Costa Rica with an abundance of all the fruits you mention here (and even brought chia) – just no kale. But will try this with lettuce!
I’m from Ontario too and happy to get out of the cold and snow for a while.
OH my goodness! This makes me want spring&summer to come even sooner.
Im going to my yoga studios potluck tomorrow and would totally make this to share if I didn’t live in a dorm without a kitchen. :)
Yummy smoothie! I love pineapples
Hi Angela,
I live in the Niagara region and my friend from ottawa told me about your blog. I’m testing out the water right now with the idea of becoming vegan and i just have to tell you this blog has been helping me through! Thank you. I’ve already tried like 8 of your recipes and i feel really good. Thank you for your example on being healthy. I aspire to be like you.
-Angela
Hi Angela, Thanks so much for your kind words. I’m so happy to hear you’re enjoying the blog! Best wishes with all of your goals.
This looks amazing and healthy! thanks for sharing.
Good thing there’s food to help us get away from the snow! Or in my case, rain! Lots and lots and lots of it!
As a matter of fact…it nearly flooded a farm nearby my neighborhood…
It’s almost March – not toooooo long until summer! In the meantime, thanks for the taste of the tropics! And I hope you are having a wonderful – if a bit cold – weekend!
~Emily~
Definitely rock the wide rimmed hat!
I’m always trying to sneak kale into stuff. This looks tasty!
With Spring Break 1 week away, I will definitely support the large-brimmed hat/smoothie-drinking bandwagon :)
Really awesome dressing – my hubby and I inhaled our salads!!
So glad to hear that :)
Wow! Pineapple and kale – I would never have come up with that combo. Thanks for the idea – I will have to give it a try. It just started snowing here – and I did a pineapple recipe today too -http://www.snack-girl.com/snack/healthy-pineapple-recipe/
Made the “virgin” piña colada recipe that you suggested at the end of your post for a special family night treat for my kids. You are now their hero! Thanks for all of your great and healthy ideas! Salad is next on my list…
aha that’s awesome, glad it was enjoyed!
JUST as soon as I thought I’ve seen it all or was contented by how many recipes I’ve been able to replicate of yours, you yet again BLOW ME AWAY. This looks absolutely incredible! I shall make this in the very near future.
I have not gotten to say my over-due thanks to you, Angela Liddon, that I can officially eat, create, and love my vegan lifestyle. :)
THANK YOU!!
Also, I would have definitely voted for your blog, but I rather not make an account.
Thank you Sara! :) So happy to hear that!
LOVE LOVE LOVE that pic of your kitty! Too hilarious!
That salad looks yummy. I could probably do without the kale though. For some reason, I can’t yet put greens and fruit together. Love pineapple! It’s my absolute favorite fruit in the world… paired with coconut and I’m in dreamland!! Thanks for sharing the recipe. The dressing sounds magnificent!
The salad looks great! I’ve seen a lot of ginger used with pineapple lately. It might go well here, too?!
Yes I think it would go very well :)
Love this recipe! Looking forward to trying it this week! Ever since I fell in love with The Veggie Grill’s All Hail Kale Salad with a papaya-ginger dressing (recipe can be found on-line), I can never get enough kale!! Thanks for what looks like another fantastic flavor combination. :)
Thank you for sharing your accomplishments and hurdles, very inspiring! And, I cannot wait to try this salad recipe..as well as many of your others!
Looks amazing! I have never tried a kale salad before, and I’m attempting to make this one for my family’s Easter dinner this weekend…do you think it would work to marinate the kale overnight in the dressing? I’m planning out my cooking schedule, and I’m slightly concerned the kale might be too bitter for my less-than-used-to-raw-things family….I read that even marinating kale overnight doesn’t wilt it too much. Your thoughts?
I too haven’t tried marinating overnight, so I’m really not sure. I would think it would hold up since it’s kale, but not sure how the fruit would keep overnight? my other weekend glow kale salad does hold up the next day (made with a tahini dressing) though.
I ate half of it last night and the rest for lunch today. It help up just fine over night. Because of the acidity in the dressing, the banana didn’t even brown!