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Large close up view of a bowl of kale crunch salad topped with roasted chickpeas.

Kale Crunch Salad

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  • Author: Catherine Perez
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Category: Salad
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

This hearty Kale Crunch Salad is loaded with massaged kale, crunchy cabbage, crispy chickpeas, and tossed with a creamy peanut ginger sauce.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 4 cups lactino kale, destemmed and roughly chopped
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • Juice of half a lime or lemon
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 cup purple cabbage, shredded
  • 1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips or 1/2 cup shredded carrots
  • 1/4 cup roasted sunflower seeds
  • 1/4 cup roasted pepitas
  • 1/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
  • 1/3 cup peanut ginger sauce or a store bought peanut sauce

Roasted Chickpeas

  • 1,15 oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • 1 tbsp avocado oil
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Take your rinsed chickpeas and place them in a clean dish towel and rub them as dry as you can. Discard any excess chickpea skins that rub off the chickpeas as you dry them.
  2. Add your onion powder, garlic powder and salt and then drizzle your chickpeas with the oil. With your hands, toss the chickpeas to evenly coat with the oil and seasoning. Make sure the chickpeas have enough room on the tray to roast in a single layer.
  3. Place in the oven for 30 minutes, shaking the tray to move the chickpeas half way through. Once cooked, allow to cool on the tray.
  4. To a large bowl, add in your kale along with a tsp of avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil, your salt and lime juice and then massage this into the kale until the kale appears to shrink and soften.
  5. Add the remaining vegetables and cilantro to the bowl along with the sunflower seeds and pepitas and give the salad a quick toss to combine.
  6. Pour on your preferred amount of peanut sauce, I use about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of the recipe and give another toss to coat the salad with, then top with the crispy chickpeas before serving.

Notes

Make it a complete meal by adding some cooked grains or starches like quinoa, wild rice or couscous.

Allow your chickpeas to completely cool before storing. Moisture in the chickpeas especially when hot will cause the chickpeas to soften. Sometimes, if they do get soft, I’ll pop them back in the oven or air fryer for a few minutes to help crisp them up again.

To remove bitterness and improve the texture of kale, make sure to massage it with a little fat, salt and acid. I use olive oil, salt and a little squeeze of citrus juice, usually lime or lemon. Just rub it into the kale leaves to help them soften and become more enjoyable to eat.

Store your tossed greens and vegetables separate from the dressing and chickpeas if meal prepping. Place the salad in a meal prep container along with a small container with your dressing. Store the chickpeas in a small jar or sandwich bag to add on top when ready to serve.

To save time, you can skip roasting and just coat the chickpeas with the seasonings and toss into the salad with the dressing.