cheesy vegan kale salad
A dairy-free summer salad recipe you've been missing C:
Hello everyone! I’m sitting at my very new vintage table that I found on Facebook Marketplace. It’s gorgeous… the chairs are rock hard and sometimes I feel like I’m sitting at my middle school desk when I eat on it, but I just can’t get over the fruit on the chairs. Delectable.
I started journaling again! Not really, but I’ve scribbled my thoughts down three times in the past two weeks which is more than I have in months. I also found a copy of The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough on the sidewalk on my way home from work and I’ve been reading it on the train. It’s in such bad shape — the cover fell off and when I folded a page’s corner to mark my place it broke off — but it’s beautiful. I used to like to listen to music and do some light people-watching on the train, but lately when I am listening to music, I feel like I accidentally zone out and I’m terrified of someone thinking I’m staring at them. A book is an easier place for my eyes to go (and it’s a great book).
I’ve also been loving work. When I graduated, I was really excited for the free time to hop and skip, but I started to miss the routine of school, I think. I’ve felt lost for a while, career-wise and life-wise (and still do) but recently it’s been a lost-in-a-relatively-organized-and-exciting way. Not to mention, I finally have my own kitchen, Frank as a roommate, and I’m a 5-minute walk from a grocery store, so cooking lately has been lovely.
Here’s my latest: it’s how I use up bags of kale!
I prefer kale because I always buy packaged lettuce, and it always goes bad before I have a chance to finish it. Plus, I get this flashback of eating a wet, wilted leaf from one of those spring mix containers, and it happens every time I’m in the produce section. So I’ve been buying kale! It lasts so much longer as long as you keep it dry and sealed in the fridge.
Here’s the recipe for my
cheesy vegan kale salad
Serves 4!
8 oz kale, washed & destemmed
2-3 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup breadcrumbs
1/3 cup nutritional yeast (it tastes like powdered, nutty cheese...in a good way)
1/3 cup vegan yogurt (I use Kite Hill)
2/3 tbsps vegan mayonnaise
2 tbsps lemon juice (1/2 lemon)
1 tbsp minced kalamata olives
1 tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
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Add destemmed kale to a bowl and drizzle olive oil on top. Using your hands, massage the oil into kale until leaves are shiny and become tender.
Add breadcrumbs and nooch to a small saucepan and cook over medium/low heat until toasted and fragrant.
Mix together remaining ingredients to make a mock-Caeser dressing equivalent. Feel free to add spices, substitute lemon juice for vinegar, and/or any modifications you choose. As long as you use some sort of creamy dressing, I’m sure your salad will be great.
Pour dressing over massaged kale and toss until evenly coated.
Sprinkle most of your cheesy breadcrumb mixture over salad and toss to coat.
I like to eat this with toasted almonds and seasonal fruit like cherries, or use it as a base for a wrap.
Pleeease enjoy and do let me know if you try it. I hope you’re well <3
