Who watched the Super Bowl last night? I will be honest...I watched a few commercials, the halftime show, and the last two minutes of the game while I was secretly just waiting on the Blacklist to come on. I'll tell you what I did do though, I ate a big bowl of chili piled high with all the fixings, drank a few beers, and then possibly ate some ice cream to top off the night. I'm thinking I should eat lots of salad and drink lots of water today to balance out my Sunday Funday...and I am guessing a few of you might be feeling the same way this morning. My winter Asian Kale Salad is a bowl full of amazing ingredients that are good for your body and the best part is, it tastes really great too!
Before I go into why you need to make this salad, what was your favorite commercial last night? I have three. My favorite funny commercial was the Dorito commercial with the guy on the airplane...because we've all been there on a plane right? My favorite inspiring commercial was the Always #likeagirl commercial. I had seen it before online, but I loved that so many girls and women are getting such a powerful message...girl power! And then my favorite "aww" commercial was obviously the Budweiser commercial...I mean how cute was that puppy?
Now that we have that covered, back to why you need to make this salad...
I have been having lots of happy accident salads in my kitchen lately. My first happy accident turned obsession was my Shaved Brussel Sprout Salad, and more recently I have been loving this kale salad as the perfect light lunch or served with a piece of fish or chicken for dinner. It usually starts with "what do I have in the fridge that I can throw together" and honestly it doesn't always work out so great, but sometimes...it becomes my new favorite recipe.
I will tell you that this is not your typical Asian salad, I threw in beets and satsumas because they are in season right now and I have them stocked at the house. The satsumas kind of remind me of those canned mandarins that I ate when I was a kid! I love the sweet and earthy notes mixed with the Asian dressing. And for me, a salad has to be full of texture and this one has all the basis covered.
This salad is so full of color and flavor and it super easy to mix up for a quick meal. The best part is, you can swap any ingredients really for ones you have in your fridge, just keep the formula the same! Swap almonds for cashews or peanuts, swap satsumas for orange segments, kale for spinach or even romaine, and you can have a version of this salad any day of the week!
Let's give Monday a punch in the face and kick start our week with something that is really good for you!
Ingredients:
For the Salad-
- 2 Cups of Raw Kale, chopped
- 2 Beets, Roasted, quartered, and peeled (Roast your beets at 400 degrees wrapped in aluminum foil and seasoned with olive oil and salt and pepper for 45 minutes until tender. After tehy cool, remove skins. This is something I do at the beginning of the week and use them in different salads etc. throughout the week.)
- 1 Satsuma, peeled and segments pulled apart
- 1/4 Cup of Almonds, Cashews, or Peanuts
- 1/2 Large Carrot, Julienned (sliced in thin strips)
- 1 Persian Cucumber or 1/2 of an English Cucumber, sliced thin
- 2 Green Onions, diced
- 1/4 Cup of Shelled Edamame
For the Dressing-
- 1/4 Tsp. Sesame Oil
- 1 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil
- 1/4 Cup of Soy Sauce (to make gluten free, use Tamari instead)
- 2 Tbsp. of Rice Wine Vinegar
- Juice from one Satsuma
- 1 Tsp. Honey
- 1/2 Tsp Black Pepper
*This is for a single serving, the dressing depending on how much you like will be more than one serving. Simply store any extra in the fridge. Just double or triple all ingredients if you are making this recipe for your family.
You can't get much healthier and if you love Asian food like I do, then you are going to go nuts over this salad. I think I'll be serving mine with a piece of salmon for dinner!
