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Top down view of a white porcelain plate full of Raw Kale Salad with Avocado Dressing.

Creamy & Colorful Raw Kale Salad with Avocado-Lemon Dressing


  • Author: Shanna Mallon
  • Total Time: 20 mintues
  • Yield: Serves around four

Description

A creamy, colorful, flavorful kale salad with diced apples, pumpkin seeds, grated carrots and a smoothing dressing made with avocados and freshly squeezed lemon juice.


Ingredients

Scale

For the Dressing:

  • 1 clove of raw garlic
  • 2 avocados, peeled and pitted
  • 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons water
  • Salt and pepper to taste

For the Salad:

  • 1 large bunch curly kale, stems removed, chopped into bite-sized pieces
  • 1 cup grated carrots
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
  • 1 apple, cored and diced

Instructions

  1. Start by making the dressing. Place a clove of garlic in the food processor (or, I suppose, blender) and pulse until fine. Add in the avocados*, lemon juice and a little water, along with dashes of salt and pepper. Blend. You want it to be a sort of thin guacamole texture – or a slightly thick dressing. Taste and adjust salt and pepper; feel free to add a touch more water to thin it out if you like.
  2. In a large bowl, combine, kale, carrots (I scooped the dressing out of the food processor and threw the carrots in next, without cleaning it first – easy!), pumpkin seeds and chopped apple.
  3. Pour the dressing on top and massage everything together well. Cover and let sit for 20 minutes or more in the fridge. Enjoy!

Notes

If there’s one tip I’ve clung to in the realm of kale salads, it’s this: massage. Massaging the kale (I like to use my clean hands) helps soften and tenderize it. Likewise, while most salads are best immediately after being dressed, kale salads like this one get better with a little time to marinate. Feel free to mix everything together and let it sit with the dressing a while – it will only make it better.

Adapted from The Complete Guide to Naturally Gluten-Free Foods.

*Are your avocado’s hard and need ripened? Use our tips to soften them up.

  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Category: Salad
  • Method: Countertop
  • Cuisine: Dinner

Keywords: kale, salad, avocado, lemon, apple, winter, cold weather, leafy greens