Kale Edamame Salad

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kale edamame salad

Dark green and purple kale, red grape tomatoes and pea green edamame are topped with chopped scallions, slivered almonds, dried cranberries, and a creamy tofu-based lemon-herb dressing. It’s enough for a full lunch or most of dinner. Inspired by Trader Joe’s Kale and Edamame Bistro salad, I like to think my version’s better, swapping out onion powder for actual onions, soy protein isolate and concentrate for actual tofu and so forth. Nothing against Trader Joe’s: their food in general has healthy ingredients and their salad is good. But just saying, you can always make it better yourself. Not to mention the price is right.

I used a head of purple kale and half a head of Italian kale. The Italian kale is also called lacinato, or most picturesquely, black dino kale. Let’s just call it that, shall we? The kids are much more likely to eat it under that moniker. The black dino leaves are a little softer than the leaves of regular curly kale, with a thinner rib. Here’s the black dino kale being washed in the sink:

Italian or lacinato or black dino kale

I always rip or cut the rib out of the center of each leaf of kale. I don’t feel like I have much of a choice on curly green or purple kale. The rib is really thick, especially the stem below the leaf. But on this Italian kale you could just trim off the stem and leave a lot of the rib within the leaf if you want. You can see one leaf where I left some of it.

I like the variety of colors of kale in this salad. Use whatever kind you want, though, or can find. See my previous post to blend up enough creamy lemon-herb dressing for leftovers or make a half recipe of the dressing here.

Here’s the recipe for just the salad. If you make it, please comment on this post to let me know how you liked it. Did you take it to work or have it for dinner?

Kale Edamame Salad

 

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Prep time

50 mins

Total time

50 mins

 

A lunch or dinner kale and edamame salad topped with chopped scallions, grape tomatoes, slivered almonds and a creamy tofu-based lemon-herb dressing.

Author: Mary Saylor

Recipe type: salad

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1½ bunches kale, washed, ribs removed
• 6 oz. grape or cherry tomatoes
• 1 cup edamame, shelled and cooked
• ½ cup dried cranberries
• ⅓ cup slivered almonds
• 1 bunch scallions, white parts, chopped (I use the lower part of the green stalk, too)
• creamy lemon-herb dressing (see link to recipe in main text)
• salt and black pepper to taste.

Instructions

1. Make creamy lemon-herb dressing (see link in main text)
2. Remove center ribs from kale leaves with paring knife or by hand.
3. Wash kale, shred leaves. Place in large salad bowl.
4. Toss with dressing.
5. Add remaining salad ingredients to serving bowl, or put ¼ of the kale on each dinner plate and then add remaining ingredients for a nicer presentation.
6. Add additional salt if needed, grind pepper over each plate of served salad.
7. Prep time includes making the dressing (15 minutes)

2.2.1

I want this again.

Tagged as: dark green leafy vegetable, dried cranberries, edamame, grape tomatoes, kale, lemon, scallions, soft silken tofu