Carrot raisin kale salad

My friend Margarita makes this carrot raisin kale salad and I like it so much that I have incorporated in my menu and everyone in the family loves it!

Kale is a new vegetable to me, I had never seen it before coming to the US. When I was writing this post I did a quick research about kale and checked the Harvard School of Public Health webpage, where there is a lot of reliable information about nutrition, and this is what they have to say about kale: “This leafy green reached celebrity status around 2012, appearing on menus of Michelin star restaurants and becoming the choice ingredient of millennial food bloggers.” Haha! It was the choice ingredient of millennial food bloggers! I find it hilarious!

The truth is, it has become extremely popular in recent years, and all the so-called healthy diets recommend eating it for its health benefits. Kale belongs to the cruciferous family of vegetables like broccoli, brussels sprouts and cauliflower; and it is high in vitamins (K, A, C and B6), folate and fiber. The scientific evidence demonstrating the health benefits of kale is still very weak, but this should not deter us from eating it. It is definitely better to consume kale than not doing it, just don’t think it will cure you from whatever disease you might think of. And this applies to many other foods that are thought to have very powerful effects on our bodies.

Anyway, going back to this fabulous carrot raisin kale salad. It tastes great, it is healthy and you should definitely try it! I like to finely chop the kale and carrots so everything is bite size when you put it in your mouth. It also has pine nuts that gives a bit of a crunch and nutty flavor to it. I like to toast the pine nuts to bring out their flavor before adding them to the salad.

Now, the secret of this salad is… the dressing! It is a Dijon soy sauce vinaigrette that pairs perfectly well with the salad. Really well. I usually season the salad a bit before we’re going to eat it (like 30 min) so the dressing marinates the kale and softens it. But this is totally a personal preference, so if you like your kale firm and crunchy just season it right before eating it.

Now, go make this salad and let me know what you think!

Carrot raisin kale salad

• Author: Carla
• Prep Time: 10 min
• Total Time: 10 min
• Yield: 6 1x
• Category: salads
• Diet: Vegan

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Description

A delicious healthy kale salad with carrots, raisins and pine nuts. The Dijon soy sauce vinaigrette makes this salad shine.  

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 6 cups chopped kale
• 3 cups shredded carrots
• 2/3 cup raisins
• 2 oz pine nuts

For the dressing:

• 8 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard

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Instructions

1. Chop kale and carrots (I use matchstick carrots that I chop again to smaller pieces) and transfer to a big bowl.

2. Add raisins and pine nuts.

3. Prepare the dressing: add all the ingredients in a jar and mix well.

4. Add dressing to the salad some time before eating it if you like your kale a bit soft (like me).

5. Enjoy!

 

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Notes

• If you don’t have pine nuts other nuts like almonds or walnuts will work too.
• I did not add any salt to the dressing because the soy sauce is already salty.
• You can use any other vinegar if you don’t have rice vinegar. 

Keywords: kale, salad, pine nuts, vegan