I love a good salad, but one of the drawbacks is they
generally don’t hold over. If you want a salad with staying power—both in terms
of filling you up and serving double duty as leftovers—go for kale. Kale is a
particularly robust green in that it really has texture that is closer to a
cabbage than a green. For this reason, it’s the perfect salad base for a
make-ahead meal. And, because the fibers of kale breakdown further the longer
it marinates in a dressing, it often tastes even better on the second or third
day.
Inspired by efficiency and in search of a nutritional
powerhouse, I grabbed a bag of Lacinato kale at the grocery store. Also called
dinosaur kale, Tuscan kale, or Italian kale, Lacinato kale has dark green,
nearly bluish, heavily crinkled leaves. It is also a super food, its super
powers being its many health benefits including that it is known to lower
cholesterol, fight cancer, and decrease inflammation. This is one of many
reasons why I heart kale.
This salad was inspired by one of my favorite salads at
Flying Apron Café, the Sesame Ginger Kale salad. Their salad has red peppers,
which I left out, but not much protein. So, I added some fried tofu as a
compliment to the cruciferous kale. I knew I could make the whole salad for the
same price I was paying for a single serving. The result was a flavor packed,
balanced, hearty salad that is satisfying enough as a meal on its own, or that
would pair well with dumplings, a spicy tomato soup, or even tacos.
Here’s the recipe, which was inspired by a recipe from www.healthynibblesandbits.com.
Ingredients
Salad:
1 ½ bunches of lacinto kale, chopped (or 1 bag from Trader
Joe’s)*
½ bag of sliced/shredded cabbage (I used the cabbage/carrot
combo from Trader Joe’s)
1 container of pre-cooked edamame
1 large ripe avocado
3 scallions, finely chopped
Sesame seeds
Dressing:
3 tablespoons good olive oil
¼ cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons miso paste (yellow or white); may want to use
a fork to break it up a bit
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon fresh ground ginger (or you can by a tube of it
from Trader Joe’s)
Fried Tofu:
2 14-oz packages of extra firm tofu, drained, pressed dry
(ideally, overnight but at least 4 hours), and chopped into ½ inch cubes
3 tablespoons Canola oil
1 ½ teaspoons garlic salt
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 ½ teaspoons lemon pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
Place the kale in a large salad bowl and massage gently for
30 or so seconds. Scrunch the leaves with your fingers using a squeezing motion
and work your way through all the leaves. After 30 or so seconds, the leaves
should be a slightly darker color.
Whisk all the dressing ingredients together. Add the
cabbage, edamame, and green onions and then toss the kale with the dressing.
Set aside to marinate as you fry up the tofu.
Heat the Canola oil in a large frying pan or wok. Once the
oil is sizzling, add in the tofu. Fry the tofu by turning the pieces over every
few minutes. About 5 minutes in, add the seasonings, except for the salt and
pepper. Continue frying until the tofu cubes are golden brown and cooked on all
sides. Taste a cube and add salt and pepper as needed.
Add the avocado to the salad (or, you can keep this on the
side if you want the salad to hold for several days). Plate the salad and top
with the fried tofu. Sprinkle with sesame seeds to serve.
*Make sure you don’t get baby kale, that’s not the same
thing! Also, I swear I don’t work for Trader Joe’s. I just shop there a lot
because I find their products to be fresh and well-priced. You can find these
ingredients at almost any mainstream or organic grocery store.
