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Delicious Kale Avocado Salad Recipe For a Healthy Meal

by Khadija Tahir
Published: Last Updated on 104 views
Delicious Kale Avocado Salad Recipe For a Healthy Meal

Have you ever had an avocado-massaged kale salad before? If not, you’re in for a real treat. Kale avocado salad doesn’t have to be tough to chew.

But I think this kale and avocado salad recipe is at the top of my list. Packed with dark leafy greens, healthy fats, and fresh lemon juice, it hits the spot every time. Trust me when I say, this salad will turn any kale hater into a kale lover!

Why Should You Try This Kale Avocado Salad Recipe?

Kale salad with avocado lemon dressing is a cinch to make. I know you will love it because:

Healthy salad and dietary friendly: This salad is wholesome, nutritious, gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, and low-carb.

Massaged kale is easier to eat and store: Once you learn how to massage kale, you’ll never go back to eating it raw (unless you prefer to!). It’s much easier to eat and lasts for days. Plus, avocado-massaged kale tastes much better than its versions massaged with oil.

Easy to customize: This kale avocado lemon salad recipe is easy to make your own with a few simple ingredient swaps.

Kale Avocado Salad Fixings

The kale avocado lemon salad ingredients come in two parts – the dressing and the salad.

Dressing: Replace the mashed avocado dressing – make good use of your food processor with avocado salad dressing (this version makes a deliciously creamy kale avocado salad) or lighten it up with a simple lemon salad dressing.

Citrus Juice or Vinegar: Experiment with acidic citrus juices (i.e. lime juice) or use apple cider vinegar instead.

Garlic: Use ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder instead of fresh garlic.

Kale: I used curly kale that was easy to find at my local grocery store. Red kale or Tuscan kale (also known as dinosaur kale) would work, too.

Nuts: Toasty pine nuts add a subtle crunch, but you can use sliced almonds or chopped walnuts. Pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, or hemp seeds would be a great nut-free alternative.

How to Make Kale Avocado Salad?

Clean hands are your best tool for this avocado-massaged kale salad recipe. Grab your biggest salad bowl and immerse yourself in plenty of greens.

Mash the avocado: Place avocado, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, and black pepper in a large bowl. Using the back of a fork, mash the avocado and mix it with the rest of the ingredients. 

Massage kale: Place kale in a large bowl and using clean hands, massage the kale with the avocado lemon dressing until leaves are covered with the dressing and softened. Give it a taste for seasoning and add if necessary. Set aside to rest.

Toast nuts: Place your choice of nuts in an empty skillet and toast over medium heat, stirring frequently, until lightly browned. This happens quickly so be sure to keep a close eye on them.

Finish and serve: Sprinkle the kale and avocado salad with the now-toasted nuts (while they are still warm). Give it a big toss and serve immediately. You can get more from this video.

How to Store Kale Avocado Salad?

This avocado and lemon salad will keep well in the fridge. After a few days, the kale starts to lose some of its vibrancy and the avocado takes on a bitter taste.

Make-Ahead: The avocado kale salad can be made 2 hours in advance and can be stored in the fridge until you are ready to serve it.

Storage: Thanks to the sturdy leaves of curly kale, this salad keeps well for up to three days as long as it is kept in an airtight container in the fridge.

Meal Prep: Make a batch, divide it into meal prep containers, and serve it for the next 3 days. 

How to Serve Kale Avocado Salad?

This bruised kale salad recipe can be served in several ways. Some of my favorites include:

Top it off with veggies: Finish it with fresh vegetables like sliced red onion, diced bell peppers, tomatoes, or carrots or make it a heartier salad with baked asparagus, Air Fryer Asparagus, Roasted Portobello Mushrooms, or Roasted Shiitake Mushrooms.

Toss with whole grains: Add a scoop of my instant pot black rice, instant pot wild rice, bulgur wheat, or – my favorite – quinoa.

Add some lean protein: Make it a complete meal with baked bone-in chicken breasts or keep it vegan by tossing in some white beans.

As a side dish to the main meal: Serve it alongside spaghetti bolognese or chicken fricassee.

Jazzed up with extra toppings: Give it an extra special touch with some freshly grated parmesan cheese, homemade croutons, or a sprinkling of nutritional yeast.

Kale Avocado Salad Expert Tips

Remove the thick stems from the kale. Simply hold the end of the kale leaf in one hand, then using your other hand, run your fingers in the opposite direction along the stem, removing the leaves as you go.

Cut the leaves into thin ribbons. Smaller pieces are easier to massage and eat than larger ones. Plus, they hold more of that creamy avocado dressing.

Use your hands. Clean hands work the best when destemming kale and massaging the leaves. A knife and tongs just don’t give you the same results.

Massage kale for at least 2 minutes. Raw kale leaves will start to break down and darken in color after about 2 minutes, but you can massage the leaves for as long as 3-4 minutes.

Lessen the time of the massaging process if looking to make it ahead. The kale will get mushy in the fridge after a couple of days if massaged for too long. Stick to the 2-3 minute mark if planning to make it ahead.

I do not recommend baby kale. A baby kale salad recipe will not give you the same results. Stick with sturdy, dark green, mature tender kale leaves.

Toast the nuts. I know it is an extra step but don’t skip on toasting the nuts. Believe me, toasted pine nuts taste much better.

A serving of this Kale Avocado Salad is 234 calories.

Conclusion

If you try this kale avocado salad recipe or any of our other salad recipes, please take a minute to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe. 

Would it be a good idea for you to cook kale before placing it on a plate of mixed greens?

Whitening kale mellows the extreme filaments and makes it more straightforward to bite. A great many people could do without crude kale, so whitening is a speedy and simple approach to making the verdant green more satisfactory.

Are kale plates of mixed greens great for weight reduction?

Since kale is low in calories and high in water, it’s a superb nourishment for weight reduction. It additionally contains fiber, which will assist you with feeling full longer and forestall indulging.

Should kale be kneaded for a plate of mixed greens?

You can skip kneading on the off chance that you are involving the kale in a serving of mixed greens with an acidic dressing. Just let the serving of mixed greens sit for a half hour or more before eating so the has the opportunity to mellow.

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