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 made this for Thanksgiving last year and it was the most favorite dish. I made it again the very next day. Thank for an awesome recipe!
I happened upon your website because I was looking for vegan salads to serve at my friend’s 40th birthday. I had tried kale in the past and never really liked the texture/taste of it. That is until I made this salad. THANK YOU FOR THE BEST KALE SALAD EVER! Not only do I make it once a week for my family because they love it too, but every single lady at the birthday party asked for the recipe. Unbelievably tasty and who knew about nutritional yeast? Love it too. I’m so happy:)
Can anyone tell me exactly how to “SHRED” kale…Slice in small strips, or just cut in small pieces, Or with an actual shredder…I have heard that some people “rub” their kale…to make it more tender….I ate this salad at a potluck yesterday and it was AMAZING…I went back for thirds & had to scrape the dish!!!!!..It seemed the kale pieces were perhaps torn into small pieces???
I simply use kitchen shears.
Greetings! I’ve been reading your web site for
some time now and finally got the courage to go ahead and give you a shout out from
Austin Tx! Just wanted to tell you keep up the fantastic job!
Do u have nutrional value for this? Calories per cup. Etc?
Love this. So glad a friend made it and shared the recipe with our family. YUM!!!!
Wow!
I have a garden full of kale, and this is how I’m going to continue to eat it! This is a winning recipe for sure. I love the flavours of the nutritional yeast and the pecans together, and the dressing is just so light and fresh. Thanks for posting this recipe. 10 stars out of 5 for my taste, and for my family’s as well. The leftovers were gone before bedtime.
Would this be ok, say if it sat for 4-5 hours? Dropping it by a friends house after her new baby. thanks
This was a fantastic find for me. My niece, who is mostly vegan, came to visit for a few weeks and I did not have a huge repertoire of vegan/vegetarian recipes to feed her. She is 13, and cooking for herself at home, so I bought her your cookbook because she is a fan of your internet site and I needed ideas to make different salads for variety while she visited. Well, I have been very impressed by this recipie and your cookbook. The recipes are enjoyable to make, stress free, and turn out like the pictures so far. As a plus, I have been able to incorporate more vegetables and nuts into my diet, and figured out what one does with nutritional yeast to make it taste great. I plan to pick up a copy of “Oh She Glows” for myself when she goes home. Thanks
Forgot to rate – withs comments just submitted
This salad was amazing, the whole family loved it and I have already passed it on to three people. Thank you so very much for helping me prepare a tasty kale salad…finally!
WOW, as I just polished off a big bowl of it, I stood there eyeing up the rest of it!!! I snuck a couple more bites then put it away before I had nothing to feed my guests!! GREAT recipe thank you!!! :o)
how do you think it would be with Dates vs Cranberries?
I was told a few times that kale should be at least steamed before eating, why?
I see so many raw kale receipes.
This was so easy to make yet fancy, colorful, and elegant! We are making it again tonight for company. I like to keep roasted garlic in the fridge to use for dressings etc, just personal preference over raw garlic flavor, but otherwise didn’t change a thing! Love all your recipes.
I love your blog Angela, one of the few that I follow regularly:)
The diversity of simple and little more complex recipes never stops to amaze!
Thank you for all the wonderful recipes and work you put into!
Happy Holidays!
Thanks for your kind words Irina!
Hi, I’ve made this salad a few time and I have to say this is one of my favorite salads now. I love making it for potluck parties. I always get so many compliments from everyone who tries it. I wanted to ask if there is any great substitutes for pecans in this salad that you would recommend? I have a friend who is allergic to them, but I want to make the salad for her birthday party. Again, so delicious!
Thank you!
I love your blog!
True food kitchen’s kale salad dressing is too heavy and too garlicky fro my taste.
I am looking forward to trying yours.
Happy Thanksgiving
Ok, so this was my first introduction to kale. It was actually about a year or more ago that I tried this recipe for the first time. It is a really wonderful recipe! I have made it again and again and although I eat kale in other ways, this is definitely my favorite. (roasted kale is my 2nd fav)
The only thing I do different is add more “parmesan crumble” and cranberries. And it is definitely important to let it sit in the fridge for a half hour. I also massage the leaves in between my hands while putting on the dressing. I always feel so energized the next day after eating it! Thank you for such a wonderful recipe! You are such a creative and talented cook and I wish I had your gift!
OMG!!!! This is one of the best salads EVER!!! The pecan parm is otherworldly. Toasty and nutty with a slight tang, it might just make you tell “regular” Parmesan to go packing. Now add that to the kale salad and you get a complex blend of lemony nutty green yum that just pops in a million different directions. Salad? It’s more of an adventure :). It does take a bit of work, but you can ease the pain with a few hacks. I toasted the pecans the night before and let them cool overnight. To get the kale nice and small I used a pair of jenaluca shredding scissors. To make sure the kale got really tender I massaged the dressing in by hand (kitchen gloves work great for this task!). Bring this to your next potluck or family celebration and watch the kale converts multiply :)
Would walnuts work as a substitute for pecans here? Need to work with a pecan allergy