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.
Featuring all new, protein-packed salads, hearty toppers, flavour boosters, and dressings you'll want to drink, my new cookbook will transform the way you think about salads. Oh, and be sure to flip to the back for a surprise dessert chapter!
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
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?
Cute post…I can’t decide if it makes we wish I was on the beach or in the middle of a snowstorm instead of in NY on a cold, dark and rainy day.
Ooooh Angela …what a perfect salad for me Downunder in Perth ….all those wonderful ingredients are well & truly in-season…off to the markets in the morning (Saturday) to get a beautiful fresh pineapple & mangoes to make it.
I just loved your photo of your deck/verandah….reminded me so much of my deck in Vancouver except I had a couple of big Douglas firs & bird feeders as well (which our resident squirrel visited too !)….loved the silence of snow …aaah…memories :)))
I adore Sketchie!
Oh wow this looks fantastic! Maybe I’ll go buy some kale and pineapple..
Pretty nail polish and gorgeous salad! I am a huge fan of pineapple in just about anything…salads, on it’s own, on pizza, in smoothies, you name it, pineapple and mango both…love them. Add coconut and banana and lime…I could almost pretend I was drinking a pina colada while I was eating…kale :)
Stay warm!
This is perfect timing! I’m going to a lunch thing this weekend and said I’d bring a fruit dish. Then I realized the girl who is cooking rarely has a side of veggies in her meals, so I was trying to think of something green and fruity to bring. This dish sounds awesome. And we live in Hawaii, so at least the pineapple will not be a problem to find!
I do not blame you one bit! I too would be making pina coladas and googling FIJI! :)
They both seem so refreshing these 2 recipes of yours…and pineapple is just so amazing. Nothing like it too when you are on an island when it is sooo fresh. :) My 2 times to Maui and all I did was obsess over how fresh the pineapples tasted.
Stay warm. :)
At least shoveling the snow is a killer workout!
How did you know I was going through a massaged kale salad slump? Thanks for the inspiration!
I had one of these salads the other day and it was quite delicious. I enjoyed the pineapples the best because pineapples are my favorite fruit.
As I sit here, I am both laughing at your tropical fantasy and commiserating along with you on last evening’s snow pile up. I love the image of you shoveling in your wide brimmed hat and peach nail polish…you are hysterical! Oh, and the tropical themed kale salad sounds fabulous…must buy pineapple today!
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!