Our toddler couldn’t get enough of this salad, she ate two plates worth! It’s called Kathy’s Fully Loaded Kale Salad and it’s from one of my absolute favorite food blogs Healthy Happy Life. It’s got tons of goodies in it and it keeps very well for leftovers.

Here’s a picture of her devouring Kathy’s salad!

I used Black/Lacinato Kale for this salad. I rip the leaves off of the thick ribs/stems and wash them in one of my favorite kitchen tools – The Pampered Chef Salad Spinner . I use this almost daily and I love it! It’s $60 but it’s totally worth it, especially if you use it as much as I do.

After washing and spinning my kale dry, I roll the leaves together and slice them into strips.

Now you are ready to assemble your salad!

Here’s her recipe, you can also access it by clicking on the name of her salad above.

Kathy’s Fully Loaded Kale Salad
vegan, served 2-3 entrée portions

1 large bunch of kale (any variety) – remove thick stems/shred leaves by hand

Toppings (as shown – but you can add your faves):
2-3 Tbsp hemp seeds (Found in bulk section of Sprouts)
2-3 Tbsp raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup apple, sliced
1/2 avocado, diced/tossed in lemon juice
handful of cherry tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup juice-packed mandarin oranges
1 small sweet onion, thinly sliced
fine black pepper

Dressing:
2 1/2 Tbsp tahini – (Found by the peanut butter – it’s sesame seed nut butter)
3 Tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp grade B maple syrup (optional – if you need extra sweetness to balance the bitterness of tahini)

To make:

1.Wash your kale, dry well. Pull tender leaves from thick lower stems. Shred leaves by hand. Add to large mixing bowl. Discard thick stems.
2. Briskly mix together the dressing ingredients. Do a taste test and adjust as desired for your tastes. You can always add in more maple syrup if your tahini is too bitter. I also like to add in an extra splash of apple cider vinegar when I’m craving a very zesty salad.
3. Toss your kale salad in your dressing. I use salad tongs instead of my hands (some will massage the kale) I actually like my kale a tad al dente (not overly marinated with dressing) so I simply toss with tongs until the dressing is evenly distributed.
4. Fold in the hemp seeds and sunflower seeds.
5. Add the remaining toppings in a lovely pattern on top.
Serve!

This salad will also do well in the fridge for a few hours – or even set out at a party or potluck. If not eating right away I’d use a tad less dressing – or add another 1/2 bunch of kale.

Here’s what mine looks like.

This salad calls for hemp seeds, you can find them whole in the bulk section at Sprouts or shelled for a great price on Amazon. I’ll be getting more into detail about hemp seeds, they are really good for you! Thanks again Kathy!