Whenever I’m in the Phoenix area, I make a point to dine at True Food Kitchen. For those who aren’t familiar with True Food, the famous Dr. Andrew Weil (along with restaurateur Sam Fox) opened this restaurant in 2008. There are now several locations. The entire menu is based around Dr. Weil’s Anti-Inflammatory Diet and food pyramid with an emphasis on local and organic food whenever possible. And I can tell you, every time I’ve been the restaurant is absolutely packed (and it’s a huge restaurant!).
[image source: True Food Kitchen]
Everything I’ve had at this restaurant has been ah-mazing. Even though it’s not a vegan or vegetarian restaurant, I always find a few great options on the menu. My last visit was no different. I ordered The Autumn Ingredient salad and I was blown away. It’s bursting with roasted squash, brussels sprouts, pomegranate, cauliflower, mulberries, and white beans. It was the first time I’ve had roasted pomegranate seeds and I can tell you I’ll be doing this real soon. The only thing that I didn’t care for was the Horseradish Vinaigrette that came with it (but I’m not a horseradish person, so what do I know).
Also intriguing, was my mom’s Tuscan Kale Salad – I love the idea of shredded kale (it just seems so much easier to chew!). The shredded kale was tossed in a simple lemon garlic dressing with a few handfuls of breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese thrown in. I decided I had to make a vegan version of this salad as soon as possible. I knew it would make the perfect salad starter for any holiday menu!
The Best Shredded Kale Salad
Yield
4 small bowls
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Inspired by a kale salad my mom enjoyed at a restaurant called True Food Kitchen, I knew I had to make my own dairy-free version as soon as I was back in my kitchen. The key to this salad is finely chopping (or shredding) the kale. The lemon-garlic dressing will coat each and every tiny piece of kale, working its magical softening powers and infusing the shredded kale with so much flavour. I prefer to use Lacinato (or dinosaur) kale in this salad because it's much more delicate than traditional curly kale and it has a milder flavour. Instead of cheese, I topped the salad with a toasted pecan "Parmesan" topping and a handful of dried sweetened cranberries. The result is one of the best kale salads I've tried to date and you'll find yourself wanting to inhale the entire bowl. Two bunches of dinosaur kale might seem like a lot, but once it's shredded, it only makes about 8 cups and then it further reduces in volume by almost half as it marinates. If you are making this salad for more than 4 people, I suggest doubling it.
Ingredients
For the salad and dressing:
- 2 medium bunches destemmed lacinato/dinosaur kale, finely chopped (8 to 9 cups/300 to 340 g chopped)
- 2 large garlic cloves
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) fresh lemon juice
- 3 to 4 tablespoons (45 to 60 mL) extra-virgin olive oil, to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (just eyeball it)
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup (35 to 70 g) dried sweetened cranberries, for garnish
For the pecan Parmesan:
- 1 cup (120 g) pecan halves, toasted
- 1 1/2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 pinches fine sea salt
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Spread the pecans onto a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes until fragrant and lightly golden.
- Remove the stems from the kale and discard. (You can save them for smoothies if you are hardcore!) Finely chop the kale leaves (the smaller, the better).
- Wash the kale and spin dry. Place dried kale into a large bowl.
- For the dressing: In a mini food processor, process the garlic until minced. Now add the lemon, oil, salt, and pepper and process until combined. Adjust to taste, if desired. Pour the dressing onto the kale and mix it into the kale with your hands or toss with spoons. Keep mixing for about 1 minute to ensure everything is coated perfectly.
- For the Pecan Parmesan: Rinse out the mini processor and pat dry. Add the pecans into the processor and process until the pecans are the size of peas or a bit larger. Now add in the nutritional yeast, oil, and salt and process again until it has a coarse crumb texture. Be sure not to overprocess—we still want a nice crunchy texture here, not powder.
- Sprinkle the Pecan Parmesan all over the salad. Toss on a handful or two of dried cranberries. Wrap and place in the fridge for 30 to 60 minutes to soften, or you can simply enjoy it right away. In the past, I've tried letting this salad sit overnight in the fridge and I greatly prefer the flavour of the salad served the day of, so I don't recommend making this salad the day before and letting it sit in the fridge overnight.
Tip:
- Instead of a mini processor, you can chop/whisk the dressing and pecan "Parmesan" by hand.
- For a nut-free version, try using breadcrumbs instead of pecans.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
Like I said, I felt like I could’ve polished off the entire salad on my own. It’s that good. I hope it’ll convince you to give kale a shot if it’s not already on your regular rotation!
I love True Food Kitchen, it is one of our favorites! And the autumn salad is SO GOOD. Thanks for this recipe, I’ve been wanting to try making the kale salad at home!
I absolutely LOVE kale, and this recipe sounds scrumptious! :)
Ooh, I’ve been looking for a suitable Thanksgiving salad – that looks great. How would you incorporate fresh cranberries?
Since I only used half a bag of fresh cranberries for Thanksgiving, I am attempting to dry the rest in the oven on 175 degrees today. I cut them in half and mixed them with a simple syrup using water and raw sugar and spread them on a baking pan lightly coated with a canola type oil. I think I’ll let them dry for four or five hours while I go to the store and track down kale and pecans. Is anyone interested in the results later?
Did it work? I would love to know
This looks simple and perfect. Restaurant recreations are my favorite!
This looks beautiful! (And don’t worry, you’re not the only one on the anti-horseradish bandwagon. I’m in the drivers seat!)
You are fast becoming one of my favourite blogs.. x
vodkaandarose.blogspot.co.uk Jess. x
I go on and off kale and never really tried it shredded. I am going to give it a try, lovely salad and those cranberries give it a nice color.
That pecan parm looks so easy and delicious! I have never been to True Food Kitchen—or to Phoenix for that matter—but I did check out their website. I’m psyched about the Dallas location; my parents live there and I could totally see it being the first place we hit up next time I visit.
Oh you should! Let me know what you think of it :)
Well I just found my recipe for a ‘green’ side dish for Thanksgiving!!!
You are so incredible with your ideas! I think my entire family would love this kale salad! Except for my 2 year old. Do you have any suggestions for getting toddler’s to eat kale?
I realize this is an old post, and you may not see it. but I have an answer to how to give kale to a toddler who might be picky. you give it the same way I give all my teenagers kale and zucchini. simply puree it and then add it to anything. pizza pasta sauce banana smoothies, brownies, cake, homemade salad dressing, make my own bread, any kind of soup. I seriously don’t never know it’s there unless you get caught red-handed, which my teams have now done, but they’ve come to accept it because I’ve never made a bad thing with it. it is one of the easiest superfoods to sneak into your family’s life, and hope for any thing more healthy.
I absolutely adore pecans, but hardly ever cook with them. Now I have an excuse!
Oh, I love salads like this one! I actually make a similar version, but I add balsamic vinegar and sometimes cherry tomatoes. And no nutritional yeast though, there is no way of getting hold of it where I live…
I found nut. yeast on amazon.com and they ship.
True Foods does have some amazing options, but the atmosphere was always a little too formal for me; have you checked out some of the new vegan-friendly diners in the downtown area? I love their hodge-podge, chill out feel (and the food, of course :) )
That just screams healthy and good for you! If I have one of these, then I can have more cookies, right? :)
I LOVE kale salads and this one sounds amazing. The ingredients are so simple but I’m sure they come together perfectly for a festive dish.
yummm- this is on my list now! Looks like a perfect fall/winter salad!
This looks awesome– it’s the next kale salad I am making!
Thanks!
This looks amazing! I’ve been trying to sneak kale into my husband’s foodstuffs for a while now, so this is definitely next on my list. :) (The greatest coup of my married life was when I successfully put spinach and kale in his breakfast smoothies for a full two weeks before he found out. When he saw me making one, he wigged out, of course, and said that his impending kale-rific smoothie was going to be “vile and disgusting” — at which point I informed him that the offending kale had been there all along, and that he’d neither noticed nor been bothered by the taste. He then sheepishly gulped it down without complaint, and I’ve reveled in my victory ever since.)
Lillian- I love how sneaky you are!! I’ve been easing in more veggies with my husband too. He’s finally into adding spinach to his smoothies, but green juice, forget it!!
I love shredding or finely chopping kale for salads–it really does much better than in a more “leafy” form. I’ve been working on converting my boyfriend to the idea of raw kale, this recipe should certainly help!
Oh boy, isn’t it such a treat to go to a delicious whole foods restaurant? Even though I live in a city of a million+, vegan friendly places to eat aren’t easy to find. In fact, my city held a “Meatopia” festival awhile back (this is Texas after all).
I will put this on my “restaurants to go to someday” wish list :)–thank you for sharing & beautiful salad.