Recipe for Kale Caesar Salad

Kale Caesar Salad

This recipe was originally posted on What’s Cooking, Good Looking.

Serves:
4-6

Ingredients:

about 8-10 large kale leaves, center ribs removed and chopped finely

for the breadcrumbs:
about 2 cups of torn sourdough bread (stale is best, but if you only have fresh that’s okay)
a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon of dried parsley
1 large pinch of red pepper flakes
1 clove of garlic, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste

for the dressing:
1/4 cup of olive oil
1/3 cup of vegan mayo (or regular mayo if you prefer)
1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon of whole grain dijon mustard
1 teaspoon of vegan (or non-vegan) Worcestershire sauce
2 cloves of garlic, pressed
1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon of salt
pepper, to taste

for quick pickled onions:
about 1/3 cup of thinly sliced red onion (I like to use a mandolin to get them really thin)
1/2 cup of red or white wine vinegar

Directions:

Start by pickling the onion:

• Place the sliced onion and vinegar together in a small bowl and set aside until your ready to assemble the salad.

Make the breadcrumbs:

• Pre-heat the oven to 350º.
• Place the torn bread onto a sheet pan and toss with a drizzle of olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper.
• Cook in the oven for 5 minutes for stale bread or for 10-12 for fresh bread. Watch this carefully because cooking times will vary depending on your oven / bread state. You want you bread to be toasted, just beginning to brown.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool while you make the dressing.

To make the dressing:

• In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients for the dressing. Taste and adjust the seasoning accordingly.
• Set aside (or refrigerate if it is going to be a while) until salad assembly.

Finish making the breadcrumbs:

• Place the toasted bread and the parsley, red pepper, garlic, salt and pepper in a food processor. Pulse several times until you have a good even-sized breadcrumb mixture. Taste and adjust any seasoning accordingly.

Assemble the salad:

• In a large bowl, toss and massage the kale leaves with the dressing. Add a little at a time, you do not want to over-dress the salad. You might end up with extra dressing, and that is okay. You can keep it in an air tight container the fridge for about 5 days.
• Add in the breadcrumbs, again, little by little until you feel there are enough. I like to toss some of the breadcrumbs in with the salad, and finish with some on top once it is plated.
• Then, strain the onions and place them on top.
• Once the salad is dressed, serve immediately.
• You can make this ahead of time (and not dress the salad) and assemble when you are ready to serve. The ingredients will keep for a couple of days in air-tight containers in the fridge.