You gotta love food trends. Have you noticed that kale is everywhere lately? It seems to be the new, trendy vegetable. Before this past month I had only eaten kale in my favorite Zuppa Touscana Soup (a copy cat recipe from Olive Garden that’s awesome!). I have had fun using kale these past couple weeks and can’t wait to share a few of my favorite recipes with you. Kale can be a little thick and is much more coarse than regular romaine lettuce. I have found it is best to add kale with other leafy greens to help break up the more firm texture. This sesame dressing is sweet and smooth and covers the salad ingredients with a delicious Asian flair. Add whatever ‘Asian’ salad ingredients to this salad you wish and you have a healthy and simple dinner recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 small bunch kale rinsed and chopped fine
- 1/2 head romaine sliced into thin strips
- 1 bag coleslaw mix or green cabbage
- 1/2 red bell pepper diced
- 2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts seasoned and cut into cubes
- 2 cans mandarin oranges drained
- 1 cup Chinese noodles
- 2-3 stalks green onions sliced
- Asian Sesame Dressing:
- 1/3 cup canola oil
- 1/3-1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. sesame seeds
- 3 Tbls. soy sauce
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 1/2 tsp. sesame seed oil
- 1 tsp. fresh ginger grated
Instructions
- For the dressing, put all of the ingredients in a blender except the sesame seeds and blend until smooth and the oil is emulsified. Add the sesame seeds and whisk together.
- For the salad, chop the kale, romaine, peppers, and green onions. Set aside until ready to prepare the salad. For the chicken, season, grill on a hot grill until cooked through and then cut into cubes. If you don't have time to grill the chicken, just sauté and cook until tender enough to shred or cut. Put all of the salad ingredients into a large salad bowl. Top with the cubed chicken, red pepper, mandarin oranges, green onions and the Chinese noodles on the top. Prepare dressing and serve on the side or on the salad right before serving.
