Roasted Peanut Kale Crunch Salad
Okay, I have an assignment for you. Go and get yourself some Roasted Peanut Oil, asap. I found mine at Whole Foods. If you don’t have a Whole Foods near you, order a bottle online. As Lindsay from Pinch of Yum promised, “Oooh baby, this salad is so good!”
Roasted Peanut Kale Crunch Salad combines finely chopped kale and cabbage that is massaged with a peanuty dressing that is light as opposed to the more common thick, creamy peanut dressing due to the use of roasted peanut oil rather than peanut butter. After the kale and cabbage get their spa-like treatment, you add some chopped red peppers (I couldn’t find Fresno peppers but used Jimmy Nardellos, a different sweet red pepper, and you could certainly substitute red bell peppers), cilantro, scallions and peanuts. And that is it. This salad is crave-worthy and delicious on its own or topped with whatever you please. For context, I added baked miso salmon to mine and ginger-scallion pork sausages to Gary’s.
One thing to note: I found it necessary to blend the dressing in my Ninja to emulsify, and I added a touch more salt and vinegar, as noted in the recipe range below. You can taste and adjust accordingly. Enjoy!
Roasted Peanut Kale Crunch Salad
Ingredients
Roasted Peanut Vinaigrette
- 1/2 c roasted peanut oil
- 2-3 Tbls rice vinegar
- 1 clove garlic
- 2.5 Tbls sugar
- 1-2 tsp kosher salt more to taste
- freshly ground black pepper
Kale Crunch Salad
- 4 large stalks of kale stems removed
- half head green cabbage
- 2 small Fresno peppers or any mild red pepper, sliced
- 1 c peanuts chopped
- 1/2 c chopped cilantro
- 1/2 c sliced scallions
Instructions
Make the Roasted Peanut Vinaigrette
- Blend all the vinaigrette ingredients in a small blender or food processor until smooth. Set aside.
Prep the Salad
- Using a food processor, pulse the kale and cabbage in batches until it is very finely chopped, stopping before the greens get too mushy. If they release too much water, just give them a gentle squeeze with a paper towel. Transfer to a large bowl.
- Toss your kale and cabbage with some of the dressing; massage it together with your hands for a minute to make sure the kale is tender.
- Chop your herbs, peanuts, and fresno peppers. Add to the bowl with the massaged kale and cabbage, along with the rest of the dressing. Serve.