Hola Mi Gente,
As we enter Prime-time gathering season, I wanted to share a salad recipe with you (because we all know we often forget to eat all our veggies with all the starchy goodness around this time of year) that is both colorful, and easy to make ahead.
One of the challenging things about salads, is that they generally don’t keep well, and have to be assembled right before eating. This salad has both cooked + raw vegetable elements that can be cut and prepared ahead of time, assembled, and chilled until you’re ready to get to the table. That means there are less barriers for you getting some fresh foods in around the table.
I chose Purple Kale as the “green” in this salad, because it is colorful AND it holds well even after you dress it. In fact, Kale often wants the extra time with a dressing or oil, to help soften it a little bit. Then we add in some shaved carrots, and a cohort of colorful roasted vegetables (which you can sub in and out depending on your personal taste buds). In the end you get a beautiful salad dish that you actually want to make room for on your plate.
If you can’t find all the specific ingredients for this at your grocery store, don’t fret. You can adjust as needed–just make sure you get some different colorful items in there.
The dressing we’re using here is SO simple to make, requires zero emulsifying, and meets most allergen requirements (no dairy or eggs in here). As a rule, I’m a pretty simple girl when it comes to dressings–I don’t enjoy creamy ranches, or acidic balsamics too much. I tend to just prefer lime or lemon + salt. It just brings out the flavor in my vegetables in a simple way. I make this dressing (it’s really just a seasoned lemon oil) for salads, or to sprinkle in soups throughout the week. It takes just a few minutes, but the flavor impact is so lovely.
The oil base does wonders for both the kale, and the roasted vegetables. Once you make it the first time, it’s bound to stick around your tables for the long-haul. Just make sure to use organic lemons when possible, since you’re keeping the skins on. If not, a good thorough wash should do fine.
Hoping this recipe keeps your fiber +vegetable intake as level as can be expected in this season.
Love, love, love,
SAVE ON PINTEREST
Colorful Chilled Salad
Ingredients
For Salad
- 1 Bunch Purple Kale Roughly torn into strips
- 2 Carrots Shaved and Sliced
- 1/2 Head Purple Cauliflower Roughly chopped
- 1 C Cauliflower Rice
- 1 Acorn Squash Cut into small slices
- 1 Bunch Asparagus Sliced into 2" pieces
- Salt for Seasoning
For Lemon Oil Dressing
- 1/2 C olive oil
- 1 Lemon 1/2 Juiced, other half Cut into small pie shaped slices
- 1 TBSP Salt
- 1/2 TSP Pepper
Instructions
For Lemon Oil Dressing
- Combine all ingredients into a small bowl and stir. Allow to sit for about 10 minutes before using.
For Salad
- Preheat oven to 425. Combine the kale and shaved carrots in your salad bowl ahead of time. Slice and chop the rest of your roasting vegetables (including cauliflower rice) and place on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. It might be easiest to cut acorn squash in half, and microwave for 3 minutes before slicing further. Brush your vegetables with the lemon oil, and sprinkle additional salt on. Roast in the oven for 25 minutes. Remove and allow to cool.
- Combine all roasted vegetables in your salad bowl, and toss in the rest of the lemon oil. Store covered in the fridge until ready to use. Enjoy!
Mary-Beth Johnson
Mary-Beth is a creative, food-obsessed, Georgia transplant living Chicago. She is proudly and fiercely Latina, and more specifically Chapina. In her day to day she is a food educator to students around Chicagoland aged 3 to 80+, both virtually and in-person. She is passionate about cultivating the truth that every person has an understanding of food that deserves being brought to the table, and that time in the kitchen can be sacred, passionate, and an act of love for self and others. Outside the kitchen you can find her at the intersections of infertility, chronic illness, and a deep love for the dignity of all humans. She hopes to create a space that is holistic about the role of food in the social, political, relational, and physiological dynamics of our world.
