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hearty kale and white bean salad!
So excited to share the recipe for this Kale and White Bean Salad, one of those so-good-you-keep-making-it recipes. This is a copycat recipe for the salad at the Erewhon Market prepared food bar in Los Angeles. I ate it way too many times while I was there. It’s simple, but nutrient dense, and made with really easy to find ingredients. So in case you’re not going to the west coast anytime soon, I’ve got you with this at-home recipe!
The Kale and White Bean Salad is kale, massaged in a lemon-y dressing with crunchy seeds. You can serve this as a side salad to your favourite meal, or toss in your favourite plant protein and make it complete! I’m also including an oil-free option, as the original calls for olive oil and trust me when I say both versions are absolutely delicious.
what’s in this kale and white bean salad?
This White Bean and Kale Salad recipe is vegan, gluten free, oil free*, refined sugar free and nut free. It’s easy to make, and is totally customizable as well.
Kale → is our base green, a deep leafy green rich in vitamins C, K, iron, copper, magnesium and more. It’s a power green, and can be a little rough, but once massaged with dressing and a healthy fat, becomes much more tender and delicious.
White Beans → provide the plant protein, but also fiber, Vitamin B1, potassium and iron. They’re soft, and almost creamy in texture.
Olive oil or tahini → are the healthy fat sources we use to create the dressing. Either will work, and you can refer to the recipe for notes, but I love to incorporate a healthy source of fat into recipes with greens. It not only makes digestion a little bit easier for the body, but also allows for optimal absorption of all the nutrients from our greens.
Lemon → as we know, lemons are a great source of vitamin C, but it also increases nutrient absorption. Paired with the healthy fats, this not only adds to the zing in the dressing, but plays its part in nutrient absorption too.
Avocado → another delicious healthy fat. Add in chunks if you’d like, or slices! The choice is yours.
Hemp Seeds → are rich in essential fatty acids and are a wonderful source of protein. Just 3 tablespoons of hemp seeds can provide more than 9 grams of plant protein!
Pumpkin Seeds → provide crunch and added protein to our salad. They are very high in magnesium, and omega-3s. It’s a great nutrient dense seed to add crunch to salads, no croutons required!
secrets to success
If preparing your own kale from the stalk, I recommend making sure you remove the tough stems. If using bagged chopped kale, still go through and remove the tough stems leftover, because they’re difficult to chew on. I like to use conventional kale or curly kale, the most commonly found and easy to find, but you could use another variety. You could even consider swapping kale for your favourite green!
To store this salad, I recommend storing your dressing separately. This will not only keep kale fresher for longer, but will also make the dressing more prominent in flavour when you’re enjoying. Just massage into kale as soon as you’re ready to eat. Bonus: if you want to keep chopped avocado looking fresh, drizzle with a little lemon juice to slow browning.
If you try this recipe out, tag me on Instagram @veggiekins so I can see your delicious re-creations and for a chance to be featured! As always, I love when you share your reviews in the comments below, and if you make any fun substitutions, let me know how it worked out below too!
In a small bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients are smooth and incorporated. Add additional water to reach desired consistency.
In a large serving bowl, massage kale with dressing, then toss in beans, avocado chunks, pumpkin seeds and hemp seeds. Toss again to incorporate. Enjoy immediately!
Notes
To prep and serve later, store dressing separately and toss just before enjoying.
Prep Time:10 minutes
Cook Time:5 minutes
Category:main dishes
Method:tossing
Keywords: salad, main dishes, beans, high protein, oil free, nut free, kale
I love this recipe - especially the dressing! I swear I go between this dressing and the one from the 'vegan kale caesar salad' recipe like clockwork! I love how simple this salad is, too - delicious! :)
Yummy! I’ll be making this again for sure! I made it today for the first time for a potluck gathering with my tennis peeps and it was a hit! It’d be fun to add pomegranate arils around the holidays for a more festive flare!
Hi there, I’m Remy! Welcome to Veggiekins Blog, home to nourishing vegan + gluten-free recipes and tips to live your best balanced and holistic life. I’m a human on a mission to empower you to be well and be kind to your mind, body and soul with the healing power of plants.
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