Rainbow Kale Salad

I haven’t had kale in so long and recently had a real hankering for it after seeing it in store!

My normal procedure would be sauteeing or steaming it with a big squeeze of lemon and a pinch of Maldon salt, but I decided to mix things up a bit and make a kale salad for the week instead!

I’ve made kale salads before here, a simple massaged one and a tahini one, but I love this combination that I made that’s packed with vegetables. Ratio-wise, I like adding more veggies than kale because, let’s be honest, it tastes way better that way.

You can feel free to add in anything you like or omit vegetables. I know that avocado would make a deliciously creamy addition whilst pepitas or walnuts would add a nice crunch to the salad.

Rainbow Kale Salad vegan, gluten free, dairy free
Serves 2 as a main or 4 as a side

This is a wonderful salad that you can make at the start of the week. The kale is massaged until tender and works perfectly with the other vegetables. Feel free to add in any ingredients like nuts and seeds, pomegranate or avocado (although I would advise adding avocado before serving so it doesn’t brown). To make it a main meal, you can add some potatoes or grains like quinoa or some beans.

1/2 bag of kale
1 raw beetroot, grated
1 carrot, grated
Handful of cherry tomatoes, halved
1/3 cucumber, diced
Handful of parsley, chopped
1 tbsp capers (wash if coated in salt)
1/2 lemon
Apple cider vinegar or balsamic vinegar
Extra virgin olive oil (optional)
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste

Wash the kale and dry to get rid of any excess moisture.

Massage kale with lemon juice, a touch of apple cider or balsamic vinegar and a pinch of salt.

Once the kale has gone down in size, add the rest of the vegetables, chopped parsley and capers.

Once mixed, refrigerate for at least half and hour before serving.

Once ready to serve, add some extra herbs on top and any other ingredients like pomegrante. It’s delicious with a drizzle of olive oil here too!

 

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Green Bean Salad with an Asian Onion Dressing

Slightly lenghthy title for the simplest side salad you’ll ever make!

After coming back from Tokyo I was seriously in need of my favourite tamanegi dressing (onion dressing, Kewpie brand btw if anyone wants to try it)!
I had to come up with a solution and the only way was to try an make it at home.

3 ingredient. Stir them up. Let the marinade. Done!

Seriously as simple as that and it tastes amazing on any salad!

One of my favourites is to pair it with some green beans – letting them steam until soft but still remaining a slight crunch and bright green colour, topping with lots of onion-y dressing and a good sprinkling of sesame seeds!

You better believe that I’ve been eating this pretty much every day since I got back!

Green Bean Salad with an Asian Onion Dressing vegan, dairy free, can be gluten free
Serves 2

This dressing packs a flavour punch and although the ingredients list is short, don’t be fooled by the flavour it will bring! If you are able to somehow hunt down irizake, I recommend you buy it as it’s one of my favourite ingredients in the kitchen and I assure you you will never look back (I can’t remember the last time I used soy sauce). It’s packed with umami and  has such a well rounded flavour.
The dressing will also make more than you need but you can keep it in the fridge and put it on any side salad or even a bowl of grains!

250g green beans
1 onion, finely diced
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (you can substitute with toasted sesame oil)
1-2 tbsp irizake (you can substitute with soy sauce or tamari, but be careful as this may bring a stronger flavour)
Toasted sesame seeds, black or white

Mix the salad ingredients and store in a jar in the fridge for atleast a few hours so the onion bits can marinade.

When ready to serve, steam the green beans for 3 minutes or so and once done, put into a bowl of ice water.

Drain the beans and serve on a plate, with lots of dressing and a generous sprinkling of sesame seeds.

Butternut Squash & Lentil Salad

I’m a sucker for hearty salads, I can eat them whatever the weather and any time of year. Give me all the roasted vegetables and grains and your good to go!

I love salads because they are so versatile: this is a winning combination with the earthy lentils and sweet squash but if I had kabocha squash I would 10000% use that and you can also use quinoa or freekeh or millet in place of the lentils if you’re not a fan!

The great thing about this salad is it’s so quick to put together. I used an already cooked pouch of lentils (which I’m obsessed with) and toss through some vegetables. Feel free to use letover vegetables that you have – I love roasting a big batch to munch on through the week!

Butternut Squash & Lentil Salad vegan, gluten free, dairy free
Serves 2

This salad is delicious every season, whether you have it as a cold salad for lunch or a warm side to a dish in the evening. The earthy puy lentils go well with the soft and sweet squash as well as getting a slight crunch from the zucchini and tangy from the dressing.

1/2 butternut squash (pumpkin, or other squash varieties also works)
200g cooked puy lentils (you can also use beluga lentils)
1/4 zucchini, julienned
Apple cider vinegar
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

Cube the butternut squash and put it in a bamboo steamer to let it steam for about 10 minutes, or until easily pierced with a fork.
You can also roast the squash with olive oil and salt in a 180ºC oven for 30 minutes, until caramelised and soft.

Set the squash aside while you prepare the lentils and zucchini.

Add the apple cider vinegar, olive oil and salt and pepper to the lentil and stir in the julienned zucchini.

Once the squash is cool enough to handle, add it to the bowl and stir well.

Once combined, serve.

This also keeps for a day or two in the fridge, so would make the perfect lunch option.