Summertime Reboot Salad: Kale + Sweet Corn - Great for Summer!!

I think I inspired myself on this one. After writing up my 15 Fave Salad Dressings post I found myself craving .. salad! And since my fridge produce drawer was overflowing with summer goodies, I knew I had to whip something up.

This Summertime Reboot Salad features marinated kale, crisp, sweet, lightly cooked summer corn, vibrant red bell peppers, sweet white onion, some carrots, cabbage and a generous handful of finely chopped flat leaf parsley. The dressing contains all my favorite flavors: white miso (rich in probiotics!), tamari, tahini, grade B maple syrup, a splash of rice vinegar and my own custom blend of spices to accent these delicious summertime-infused flavors. Plus, I folded in a generous amount or raw organic hemp seeds to add fiber, protein and omega fatty acids.

Make-Ahead. Or not. I love this salad because you can make it during the day (whenever you have 15 minutes to spare to whip it up) - then just stick it in your fridge and it will be ready to pull and serve at dinnertime. Some salads will wilt in the fridge, but hearty kale leaves, moisture-absorbing hemp seeds and crunchy onion and peppers hold up very well in the fridge.

Or you can eat it right away. It tastes amazing within seconds of tossing the ingredients together.

This salad will remind you how yummy simple veggies can be when properly seasoned and prepped with some TLC.

Craving a delicious salad to reboot your body and make you just feel amazing? Lets go..

Some fun interview news: I will be a guest on Marilu Henner's AWESOME radio show next Friday - August 2nd. You can listen online. The show repeats all day long so you can listen at any hour you choose. If you listen live you can call in to chat with Marilu or ask guests questions. I have been listening to her show all week and just love it. Her show discusses "life through the prism of health." --> MariluShow.com

Reboot Salad. This is one of those big bowl salads that you really have to chew, digest and let absorb slowly into your body. In other words, do not eat a giant bowl of this stuff and head out for a five mile run. But all the goodness in these greens, veggies, seeds and corn is going to make you feel amazing. Salad glow you can call it.

To make this salad a meal, try adding some tempeh croutons or miso-dipped tempeh logs on top. Fold in a handful of beans or cooked grains like barley, quinoa or farro to the salad. Or add a dollop of hummus on the side. Or serve with my super fast chipotle sweet potato soup. You could also add a side of rice or a side baked sweet potato just to round things out a bit. Or add a side of sprouted grain toast slathered in vegan mayo if you crave. These spunky, green, sweet, miso, tamari, tahini, maple flavors go with so. many. foods. - you can really embrace the versatility of this recipe. Serve as a side or entree salad.

Corn Nutrition: Even though corn is incredibly sweet, it is still incredibly healthy. One ear of corn has around 75 calories, 1g fat, 3g protein and 2-3g fiber. It contains some vitamin C, thiamin, folate, phosphorus, magnesium and more.

..but really, the best part is how sweet and delicious corn is.

How to Eat Summer Corn. Did you know that you totally can eat corn right from the stalk - raw? Yup. It is pretty yummy that way. Crisp, juicy and sweet. It is an odd texture and taste the first time you try it, but then once the sweet fresh flavor registers on your taste buds you will be loving it! OK, or not. Fresh corn is a unique taste and I'm guessing some of you may prefer the cooked version. But at least give it a try! One tip: wash your corn very very well if eating raw. (Just like any veggie really.)

I personally like my corn "lightly cooked" So instead of boiling until the kernels are deep golden yellow, I boil for a very brief 2-3 minutes. This softens the corn and cooks a bit, but still retains that lovely fresh summer flavor.

You can use raw, cooked or slightly cooked corn in this salad. Actually grilled or roasted corn would be amazing too.

Starting the dressing:

Summertime Reboot Salad: Kale + Sweet Corn
vegan, serves 4

2 ears of summer corn
4-6 cups kale, washed and finely chopped (remove thick stems)
1 small red bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup shredded carrots
1 small white or sweet onion, chopped
1/4 cup chopped red cabbage
1/3 cup raw organic hemp seeds

Sweet Miso Tahini Dressing:
2 Tbsp white miso paste
1 1/2 Tbsp tahini
1 1/2 Tbsp grade B maple syrup
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 Tbsp tamari
1-2 Tbsp seasoned rice vinegar (apple cider vinegar, lemon juice or unseasoned rice vinegar can also be used)
spices:
pinch of fine black pepper
1/4 tsp coriander
pinch of cayenne

This salad would be amazing with miso-dipped tempeh logs

Directions:

1. Boil water in a large pot. When water is boiling, drop corn and cook for 3-5 minutes, until the color darkens a bit. (You can cook shorter or simply serve corn raw if you'd like.) Pull corn from pot and set aside to cook a bit.

2. In a large salad tossing bowl, add all the dressing ingredients (including spices) and with a spoon start whipping until smooth and creamy. Set aside.

3. Prep your veggies. Wash/dry kale and remove tough stems. Chop finely. Also finely chop the flat leaf parsley. Chop onion and bell pepper. Chop cabbage and carrots (if adding). Add all prepped veggies to large salad bowl with the dressing in it.

4. Toss the veggies with the dressing very well. Toss for a few minutes until the veggies have absorbed much dressing and the kale has wilted down a bit. (If you'd like to add more or different veggies, go for it.)

5. Grab your corn and carefully slice off the kernels and add directly to the salad bowl. I usually use a bread knife and hold the corn cob carefully with a paper towel so it doesn't slip. Add both cobs - about 1 1/2 cups of kernels.

6. Toss the warm corn with the salad. This will further wilt and marinate the veggies.

7. Add in the hemp seeds and toss.

8. Do a taste test. You can alter the flavor if desired. Add more rice vinegar for a wetter, tangier flavor, more oil for a richer texture or more miso, tamari or table salt for more salt. You can also add more veggies if the dressing as is is too strong for you. Just add in another handful of chopped kale or other veggies and toss.

Serve right away (slightly warm) or allow to marinate and chill in the fridge for up to 8 hours. If storing in the fridge over 8 hours you may want to add dressing later and just set prepped veggies in the fridge covered.

Simple Sweet Tahini Dressing

Add some green deliciousness to any meal (hey, even breakfast!) by learning how to whip up this simple (make-ahead approved) recipe for 5-Step Raw Kale Salad.

Go-To Recipe. I make this dish A LOT and love it because once you learn the basics you can change things up by adding in a wide variety of fresh veggies, roasted veggies, fresh fruit, dried fruit, nuts, seeds, pickled veggies, beans and other vegan goodies.





Raw Kale Salad. Yup, it still seems to be everywhere I look these days. And just in case you needed a reminder, kale is indeed PACKED with nutrients..

Whenever I think of raw kale salad I think of my friend Gena. You guys may remember a video we did a few years ago..

Gena introduced me to her massaged version of raw kale salad for our 'summer recipes' video shoot. The scene: We were smiling and happily running around doing our video shoot showcasing a few beloved vegan summer recipes when Gena said she would be making a massaged kale salad. I was thrilled because hey, I love raw kale salads! But wait, did she say "massaged" kale salad? I had kinda 'heard about' massaging kale but never seen it first hand. And then suddenly Gena was on camera with me, chattering away in my living room, wrist-deep in her bowl of salad massaging the heck out it! All those veggies and raw kale bits were getting some serious five-star spa-like pampering. If you watch the video you can see I was a little shocked by the hands-on-ed-ness of it. But ya, it tasted AMAZING.

..OK, I get it now! Do you massage your kale? Well I personally do not often do hands-on deep tissue to my raw kale salad leaves. I usually just do a vigorous fluff-n-fold-n-chill approach and let time do the 'softening' work. So I let my dressing-tossed kale sit in the fridge for about 1-8 hours (prep in the AM, eat by dinner) and by then the flavors are infused and the greens softened. Or for crunchy kale, you can eat ASAP.

THE SEED Vegan Experience!! Speaking of Gena, I am super excited that next month Gena and I will be doing a duo presentation on MY favorite topic: vegan smoothies! Demo included! We will be chatting up all things blogging, eating, vegan smoothie-making, Vitamix-loving and anything the audience wants to ask us a la Q&A sesh. This will be my first big presentation at a big "vegan" event so I am excited! I will also be hanging out at a Healthy Happy Life / Finding Vegan booth hopefully handing out recipes cards and maybe a few more goodies to remind people to buy my book 365 Vegan Smoothies which will go on sale shortly after the event. If you are in NYC please come say hi! I'd love to meet you! Buy 50% off tickets while they last!

But enough chatter, lets get kale-ing...

5-Step Kale Salad

Step 1. Wash your fresh kale greens. Run each thick leaf under warm to hot water and massage any grit away. Then refresh the leaves by running them all under ice cold water. (The hot and coldest settings on your tap will work.)

Step 2. Prep your ingredients. Remove the thick vein from your kale leaves and discard. (You could keep this on, but it is quite chewy.) Also prep your other veggies however you'd like. Chop, dice, cube, shred... Add the chopped kale and veggies to a large mixing bowl.

Step 3. Make your dressing. In a small bowl, whisk your dressing together.

Step 4. Toss! Add the dressing to your bowl of veggies and kale and start tossing! You could massage if you'd like :) Fluff and toss until the dressing is well absorbed into the greens and veggies.

Step 5. Chill it! Allow at least an hour for the dressing to really sink into the ingredients. Plus chilling everything makes it refreshing and tasty as a cold salad side. You can even make this salad the night before you serve it. Overnight chilling works! The greens should be eaten within 48 hours though.

Now for the recipe...

5-Step Kale Salad
vegan, makes 6 cups

4 cups chopped raw kale (about 1/2 small bunch)
3/4 cup shredded carrots
1 small avocado, diced
1/2 cup sweet onion, diced
2-3 Tbsp seeds or nuts (I added some mineral-rich pepitas)

*you can easily change up the veggie and other add-ins as desired.

Simple Sweet Tahini Dressing
2 Tbsp tahini
2 Tbsp maple syrup
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice + pinch of zest
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (optional)
2-3 pinches cayenne
pinch of salt + a few pinches of black pepper

(Make a double batch of dressing if you like your greens more heavily dressed)

Important notes:
* If you want to lighten up the dressing, substitute fresh orange juice for the EVOO.
* You can use raw agave syrup or brown rice syrup in place of maple if desired.
* Add a splash of tamari in place of the salt if you have it on hand!
* Be sure to stir stir stir first if your tahini settled with oil on top!
* Add a splash of apple cider vinegar if you'd like a perkier, more acidic dressing.
* I like to use pink Himalayan salt.
* Freshly finely chopped parsley is a very nice touch for this dressing.

During the holidays, I love making candied walnuts (and any kind of nut) to sprinkle on top of salads. It adds just the right amount of crunch and the hard caramel exterior melts into the dressing for an extra bit of sweetness. I’m kind of addicted to them. To change things up, this year I made an extra big batch of spicy and salty vegan candied walnuts just for salads, or the occasional snack. I swapped out the butter for vegan margarine to make these dairy-free. It just makes it a bit more friendly to take to parties because I never know what kind of dietary restrictions other party goers will have and I want everyone to enjoy what I bring.
They get their spicy kick from a good pinch of cayenne pepper. If you don’t want them to be super spicy, use less cayenne or leave it out completely. They will still be extra delicious from the other spices.

Spicy and Salty Vegan Candied Walnuts

Ingredients:

2 cups whole nuts (pecans, walnuts, almonds)
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. vegan butter or coconut oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (use more or less depending on how spicy you want it to be)

Instructions:

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, or grease well. Do not use waxed paper!
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Melt the vegan butter or coconut oil. Add the sugar, salt, pumpkin pie spice and cayenne. Stir to combine then add the nuts. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the sugar caramelizes and turns golden and the nuts are toasted. Remove from heat and sdd the vanilla extract. It will bubble up and splatter a bit, so be careful! Stir well.
Pour the nuts out onto the prepared baking sheet. Use a fork or wooden spoon to separate the nuts into a single layer. Work quickly because the caramel will harden faster than you think. Let cool completely. Use whole or roughly chop. Store in an airtight container or jar.
Sprinkle on salads or eat as a snack.
Yield: about 2 cups

These spicy and salty vegan candied walnuts are very delicious sprinkled on this simple holiday green salad. Get the recipe here.

the ellusive kale chip

Rarely is the kale chip able to be photographed. It lives a short but full life of passion, love and flavour; until it is quickly destroyed because of it's own irresistibility. Tragic for the kale chip - oh so delicious for its hunter. 

If kale ever becomes extinct - you can blame me.

 -

When it comes to kale chips, I am a merciless hunter. I ferociously eat every one in sight, often not pausing to breathe, until before I realize it - 3 bunches of kale have disappeared. Every time I make kale chips I say to myself "Okay Emily, THIS TIME you need to leave some for others." 

It never works.

Today I wanted to make kale chips because I had extra Pad Thai sauce and Hemp Sauce which I planned on using as the dressing. Well, my mom and I went to the market and bought 3 bunches. When I got home this evening I dressed them all and stuck them in the dehydrator to blossom into glory. 

=

I tend to eat them at all stages - when they're totally fresh with just the dressing on, when they're starting to soften and get gooey as they warm up, and when they're finally a crunchy chip. So by time they reach the last stage, most of them are gone anyway. Then before I know it, I've eaten the rest. This is why I never have pics of kale chips on my blog.

You have no idea how much will power it took to NOT eat these chips before I took pictures, AND to save a (very small) bowl for my mom for when she got home.

Anyways: moral of the story - kale chips are ADDICTIVE. Be careful.

They don't stay around for long. 

If you want a recipe for les chips, just use any sauce recipe I have on the blog, and put it on a bunch of ripped kale pieces. Then dehydrate for a couple hours or until they're crunchy.

If you wanna make your own sauce, I recommend making a blend of tamari, lemon, garlic, miso, nutritional yeast, nut butter, and some spices. It makes a cheesy, salty dressing... mmm =)

Here's some of my recipes for dressings: Spicy Thai Sauce and Creamy Hemp Sauce. And this is my basic recipe:

Kale Chips: serves...?

3/4 cup cashews

1/3 cup nutritional yeast

1/2 T curry powder, or any other spicy powder you adore

1 T miso

Splash of Bragg's Liquid Aminos

Juice of 1 lemon

1 teaspoon salt and pepper

Clove of garlic, chopped

Water, as needed

2-3 bunches kale

Blend all ingredients - except kale - in blender until creamy and smooth. It should turn into a thick, delicious, saucy thing... unless you or I forgot an ingredient. Add other things to your liking. Set aside.

Wash kale and break into large chip sized pieces (they will shrink a lot). Put in your biggest bowl and throw in the sauce. Mix it in with your hands - this is surprisingly enjoyable - until all the pieces are evenly coated. Try one...

Yep. I know. You're gonna eat 'em all.
 

Now put them on dehydrator trays and dehydrate for a couple hours, or until they're crispy. If you don't have a dehydrator, just use the lowest temperature on your oven.