Tuscan Kale Salad

wooden salad bowl filled with colorful chopped salad: tuscan kale, purple carrots, red peppers, purple cabbage, cucumbers and marcona almonds

5 from 60 votes

This Tuscan Chopped Kale Salad is addictively delicious and ready in just 10 minutes. Crunchy, tangy, satisfying and colorful...a tasty way to add more plants to your diet!

Prep Time10

Total Time10

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegan

Servings: servings

Calories: 280kcal

Author: Debra Klein

Equipment

Ingredients

1 bunch lacinato kale
4 scallions thinly sliced
3 small Persian cucumbers diced
2 cups shredded cabbage
3 carrots chopped into thin rounds
1 red pepper diced
¾ cup marcona almonds
OPTIONAL: ¼ teaspoon sea salt*

Balsamic Miso Dressing

¼ cup light miso*
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
¼ cup water
1 Tablespoon maple syrup

Instructions

Wash the kale. Stack the leaves and place the top leaf so that the stem is horizontal. Start on the non-woody stem end to make thin slices until about ¾ down. Then de-stem the remaining portion of each kale leaf, removing the harder stem. Roughly chop remaining kale.
Place kale in large bowl and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt. Gently massage kale with your hands, breaking down the fibers. Let kale sit to further soften while you prepare remaining ingredients.
MAKE THE DRESSING: In a small bowl, whisk together miso, mustard, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup and water.
Thinly slice scallions; dice cucumbers and red peppers, thinly slice cabbage and carrots. Add to bowl with kale. Sprinkle on marcona almonds.
Pour ½ the dressing over the salad and mix until everything is well incorporated. Pour on additional dressing, as desired and mix again.

Notes

MEAL PREP AND STORAGE

Serve: Serve as a side salad, or make it a meal by adding in some plant based protein like beans or lentils.
Prep: Make the dressing in advance. It will stay good in the fridge for a week. Wash and chop the kale a couple days or a couple hours in advance. Don't massage it until you're ready to dress and toss. The veggies can also be chopped and left in the fridge in an airtight container until you're ready to toss the salad.
Store: Undressed salad will stay good in the fridge for 4 days. Dressed salad will stay good for 1-2 days.

SALT: The salt is optional...but I recommend indulging in the massage even without the salt. It will help break down the fibers in the kale and make it easier to digest.

Nutrition