Citrusy Kale Salad
Trying to think of a way to get some amazing nutrients into your diet with raw kale? Here it is! This salad is SO yummy that even people who turn their noses up at kale will enjoy it. Seriously. Herbivores and omnivores alike… I’ve served this salad to many people who otherwise do NOT like kale and it was a hit.
Ingredients
12 oz. chopped kale, thick stems removed—make sure it’s organic! (see notes)
1/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup orange juice (fresh squeezed is best)
juice of one lime
2 TBS pure maple syrup
1 tsp ume plum vinegar (see notes)
1/4 cup hemp seeds
1/4 cup organic raisins
Method
If you’re using kale leaves, strip the stems out and chop the leaves into bite sized pieces. You can also use bagged kale (already chopped), just make sure you take all the woody, tough stems out.
Mix the tahini, maple, orange juice, lime juice and vinegar together and pour over the kale.
Massage until the kale gets limp… it doesn’t take very long. If you don’t want to use your hands, a large wooden spoon gets the job done. I love using my hands for this!
Add in the hemp seeds and the raisins and stir well to combine. Leave the salad out for about 20 minutes, stirring or massaging until the kale wilts a bit more. It will wilt down to about half of its original volume.
Add love. 💗
Store refrigerated. Lasts a few days.
Serves 4-6. Enjoy!
Notes
Kale is now on the “dirty dozen” list. Eek. This means it has high levels of residual pesticides when conventionally grown. To find EWG’s complete list of the Dirty Dozen, click here. You may want to see their Clean Fifteen list, too. These are fruits and veggies that do not necessarily need to be purchased organic.
What is umeboshi plum vinegar?? Ume Plum Vinegar is the treasured by-product of the pickling of umeboshi plums; the liquid brine left over after pickling the plums. In Japan it is known as 'ume su' that means plum vinegar. This salty, tangy, ruby red vinegar is delicious sprinkled over cooked vegetables (especially members of the cabbage family). It adds zing to salad dressings and dips, and is great for making other pickled or preserved foods. It’s a very pleasant, fresh vinegar without the usually acetic bite of other vinegars.
It should be noted that ume vinegar, being a byproduct of umeboshi plums is VERY SALTY. So a little goes a very long way. Interestingly, animal experiments using the extract of umeboshi plum vinegar have confirmed the effect of suppressing an increase in blood pressure. More studies are needed for sure, so please still use this ingredient sparingly.
I use Eden brand ume plum vinegar. I have found it to be the best.