Kale and Almond Salad
Kale and Roasted Vegetable Salad with Almond Balsamic Dressing
Yield: 4 entrée servings, 8 appetizer servings
Ingredients:
2 medium yellow beets, scrubbed clean
2 medium red beets, scrubbed clean
1 red onion, cut in large dice
8 or 9 medium carrots, peeled, and cut in large dice
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
1 head of kale, ribs removed, cut small
1/3 cup sliced almonds
Dressing:
1 tablespoon almond butter
3 tablespoons good quality balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon of chopped ginger
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon honey
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. (Or 350 degrees with the convection on)
Take all of your beets and place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper or foil. Bake the beets uncovered for 45 min or until they are soft enough to poke easily with a fork. When they are cooled, peel the skin off and dice or cut in slices if you prefer. Place aside.
Mix your carrots and onions on a baking sheet and sprinkle the vegetables with the oil and salt. Mix well and bake uncovered in the oven for 45 minutes, or until the edges of the vegetables start to turn brown.
Take your almonds and spread on another baking sheet and toast in the oven uncovered for 3-4 minutes. Just until they start to turn light brown. Feel free to set a timer as a reminder. I never remember and always end up tossing the first (burnt to a crisp) batch.
All of the roasting and toasting can be done up to 3 days before. If you are not serving immediately, you can put the roasted vegetables in the fridge and the almonds in a bag or container until you are ready. The red beets should be stored in a separate container so the color doesn't run onto the other vegetable.
Making the dressing:
Take your almond paste, balsamic, ginger, seasoning and honey and whisk in a bowl. While continuously whisking start to add the oil one drop at a time until it is all added and fully incorporated together. We whisk the oil in slowly to better emulsify the dressing so that the oil and vinegar don’t separate.
Assemble the salad:
One hour before serving, take your roasted vegetables out of the fridge to come to room temperature. Then take your kale and place it in a mixing bowl. Using gloved hands toss the kale and ½ of the dressing together. Massage your kale with the dressing so that the kale starts to soften. We do this to help the kale absorb the dressing and to help soften the leaves for eating. If you leaves are super soft and almost wilted, than dress it closer to serving time.
Toss your vegetables and almonds in with the kale when you are ready to serve. Add a little more dressing and toss well.
This salad dressing will last for 8-9 days in the refrigerator.
