Kale walnut raisin salad
Hello peeps. Salads are something I consume a lot and on a regular basis. Also why I never got around to blogging them sincerely because they all happened in rush typically. However, since last year I have been trying to document them as much as possible. Kale is an absolute favourite of mine and I have found this organic brand that works perfectly for me in terms of the taste, the size of the package and the cost :D. I buy it quite often and incorporate it many different ways. Salads typically yes, but I also use this to make burger patties and they turn out awesome (to be documented sometime).
There is a Kale salad that I pick up at times from a hypermarket nearby and this is my humble attempt at trying to match its taste and in my opinion, this is a pretty good match :D. I have used nutritional yeast instead of parm & kept the dressing very simple and minimal. I simply love love love the final output of this salad.
On a personal front, my folks are here and we all are having an absolute blast with the 2 kiddos at home. I think Adya has slept with us only for a day or 2 after they have come :D. He wants to sleep with them & do everything with them (mainly Athu). Even if I went missing, I don’t think he’s going to miss me. Ofcourse, they still need to me to chauffer them around to their Bounce or Digger place but oh well, that task can so be done by anyone else as well :D. In case you think I am complaining, I am not. I am totally enjoying seeing Adyant like this and wish I could be geographically closer to a few people always. If Adya had consistent access to Athu & Sam as well, I would be so happy for him.
Just realised I have quite a few kale recipes on the blog (clearly shows how much I love it). There is a Kale Chickpea salad with a tahini dressing, Kale quinoa mint salad, Kale quinoa salad with a simple vinaigrette dressing, baked kale chips (Note to self – have not done this in a while) and Sprouts kale dhokla.
- 5 nos kale leaves 2 cups when finely chopped
- 7 nos walnuts
- 2 tbsp raisins
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast add more if you want extra cheesy
- 1 tsp olive oil
- a crack pepper
- a pinch salt
-
In a small microwaveable bowl, place 2T raisins & add 1t water.
-
Microwave on high for 20seconds and take it out. You will notice the raisins would have puffed up. Set it aside for it to cool down.
-
Wash the kale leaves & just give it a good shake right at the sink for excess water to shake off.
-
Chop the kale leaves finely and add it to a bowl.
-
Add the puffed up raisins (with the little water it may still have), 7 walnuts (roughly broken), 1T nutritional yeast, 1t olive oil, a crack of black pepper and a pinch of salt.
-
Mix everything well with a fork or toss well.
-
Check & adjust the salt and pepper proportions to suit your taste buds.
-
You could have this immediately but I would totally recommend you to refrigerate it for a few hours before consuming.
-
Enjoy this super simple yet super delicious wholesome salad just as is or as a side.
- If you do not want to microwave, you could just heat the raisins with some water on the stove top. You could also ignore this step completely; I personally find the raisins get sweeter and chewier with this step which I feel suits this salad.
- I like the little water that remains when washing kale and hence just shake off excess water because kale has a dry sort of texture and instead of adding more olive oil, I prefer this. However, you could airdry the kale or pat them dry with a kitchen towel before proceeding with the chopping of the leaves.
- Normally the stem is removed before chopping the kale leaves but I find the stems just fine to consume and so do not do that. However, you could remove the stems and then chop the leaves.
- I somehow find most of the salads tasting better when leaving it in for a few hours for the flavours to soak in & settle. This falls in that category too.
- You could use parmesan cheese instead of nutritional yeast.
- I buy a certain organic locally grown kale that doesn’t taste very bitter. So I do not take any extra steps of massaging the kale extra or sautéing it a bit.
Stepwise pictures
In a small microwaveable bowl, place 2T raisins & add 1t water. 
Microwave on high for 20seconds and take it out. You will notice the raisins would have puffed up. Set it aside for it to cool down. 
Wash the kale leaves & just give it a good shake right at the sink for excess water to shake off. 
Chop the kale leaves finely and add it to a bowl. 
Add the puffed up raisins (with the little water it may still have), 7 walnuts (roughly broken), 1T nutritional yeast, 1t olive oil, a crack of black pepper and a pinch of salt. 
Mix everything well with a fork or toss it all (I am not cool to toss, everything will fall out of the bowl if I do this :D). Check & adjust the salt and pepper proportions to suit your taste buds. 
You could have this immediately but I would totally recommend you to refrigerate it for a few hours before consuming. 
Enjoy this super simple yet super delicious wholesome salad just as is or as a side.
