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!
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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!
Made this yesterday and it was amazing!!! I halved the recipe since you said it’s better on day 1. I did have some left over and that was just as good! Thanks for the recipe.
As I looked up the recipe yet again, I thought I should tell you that I probably make this recipe monthly. I recently made it for a new mom and it was a hit with her, too (welcome change from all the heavy food). And for people new to this recipe – I usually have it for lunch all week and don’t notice a major change in flavor. Kale is so hardy! My only change is I use dried cherries instead of cranberries because I can’t find dried cranberries without added sugar.
Hey Marika, I love hearing how much you make this salad!! I love how energizing it is and dried cherries are a nice swap too. I hope your new mom friend enjoyed it as well. :)
I LOVE this recipe! I have become addicted to this Kale Salad! I agree the key is shredding the kale finely. I actually slice it in thin slices. The dressing is awesome. Since i really like shredded Parmesan cheese in my kale salads, I do add about 1/8 of a cup. I just cant say enough about this salad.
Hey Jeri, thanks so much for your review! So glad you enjoy it.
I love this salad so much I grew lacinato kale specially in my garden this year so we could enjoy this salad all summer long! If only I could grow pecans… :-)
I absolutely love this recipe, Angela, and want to make it for my sister who is always up to her ears in kale and doesn’t know what to do with it. The only problem is she is allergic to raw garlic… Do you think this recipe would lose a lot if I cooked the garlic or maybe used raw shallots instead?
Hey Caroline, Aww thank you for the salad love! :) I think cooked garlic (roasted, perhaps) might be a nice chance and would lend a much mellower and lightly sweet flavour. I haven’t tried it myself but I would love to hear what you think if you do.
This is, hands down, my most favorite salad recipe ever! It is so easy to make and the flavor is glorious! It is the first food to be completely eaten at any potluck I’ve brought it to.
Hi Magda,That’s so great to hear it’s always a hit. Thanks so much for your feedback!
I made this salad for a Friendsgiving this past weekend and everyone LOVED it! I had made it before as written and feel the kale is a little too tough without massaging it, so I actually massage the dressing into the kale for at least 5 minutes and let sit in the fridge overnight. My husband was shocked that we had NONE left and I had doubled the recipe. Excellent salad! BTW….I love just snacking on the pecan parm, especially right out of the oven when its warm!
Such a great idea to make this for a Friendsgiving Nancy :) So glad it was enjoyed! Thanks for your review :)
This salad is so delicious! I especially love the pecan parmesan. It’s not really a substitute for parmesan in my mind as it has a really unique flavor. I haven’t tried a salad like this with regular parmesan but I think I’d prefer this pecan crumble any day! Thanks for the awesome recipe!
I took this to Thanksgiving dinner last night and people raved about it. I had tripled the recipe and there were leftovers, and every person wanted to take some home.
I used very large cloves of garlic, and I thought it was a bit much. I tasted the dressing before I put it on the salad, and added a half teaspoon of honey. After dressing the salad, however, I don’t think it needed that (although it didn’t hurt).
Thanks for a great recipe.
I made this Christmas Eve for a vegan option for the few of us that were not going to be digging in to the ham and it was amazing! This will be a go to recipe for me! Thanks so much, you never disappoint.
Aww thank you Debbie! I hope 2019 is off to a great start for you!
There’s so many recipes for kale salad online, but this truly is the best one in my opinion.
Wow, thank you Christine! :)
I’ve been enjoying this delicious kale salad for … 3? 4? years now, thanks to my sister-in-law for trying it out at a family gathering. I have made batches of it for dinners also, but usually I am selfish and make it just for myself lol. I live by myself, so I will buy the kale and have a salad with supper every night until the kale is gone. It’s sometimes difficult for me to get the amount of dressing right, so usually there are leftovers to store until next time. (I can have one of these every night for a week, but then I need a break.) So I have a storage question: currently, I keep dressing and pecan parmesan in the fridge in glass containers. But does the pecan parmesan need to be refrigerated? Toasted pecans, yeast, oil, salt – it’s made from stuff taken from the cupboard, so could it be kept there also? And if that’s okay, how long would it last safely in the cupboard?
Thank you for this delicious recipe!
David
Hey David, Wow, I’m so happy to hear how long you’ve been making this recipe for! You’re a rockstar. :)
As for storing the pecan parm, I think it would keep okay at room temperature (assuming your house doesn’t get too hot in the summer months) and as long as there is no fresh garlic in the parm (some of my parm recipes have fresh garlic). I hope this helps and that you enjoy many more bowls of this to come!
I almost never see lacinato kale where I live. Should I go out of my way to Whole Foods to get it, or will I still enjoy this salad with “regular” kale?
Actually the BEST kale salad! Ever since I discovered it, I’ve made it more times than I can even count now! Anyone who isn’t the biggest fan of kale, will be after this salad recipe. Thank-you so much for this simple and yummy salad!!
This has become my go to salad for home events as well as a side dish to bring to friends’ homes. It is delicious and flexible enough to use substitutes such as raisins, walnuts or a different kind of kale. Thank you!
This is hands down the best salad recipe I have ever served. Even tastes better with more yeast added. I have been bringing it to potlucks and everyone loves it.
I have to steer clear of dried fruit, so I subbed fresh pomegranate arils for the cranberries — fabulous! :)
I make this salad all the time. I generally don’t like kale, but I could eat all 4 servings of this by myself at one sitting.
Just coming here to say I make this salad ALL of the time. Biggest crowd pleasure, healthy, super textural. I’m eating it right now – always a go-to and a converter for kale haters.
I just usually whisk the dressing instead of using the food processor twice. I sometimes swap out walnuts for pecans and it’s just as good.
I was just introduced to this salad in the late summer. I hate raw kale, said I. No longer! I have made this so many times and loves it’s simplicity and flavour! I LOVE kale!!