Kale and Carrot Salad with Almond Dressing

Next in our guest post recipe series, we're happy to announce Michelle Smith of the blog MaineBelle! She blogs about healthy and local eating, New England living, and her life as a new Mama! It's always exciting to see what she comes up with. Personally, I never would have thought of using almond butter in a salad dressing, but in the following recipe that's just what she does! Sounds amazing, doesn't it? Let's find out how!

Here's Michelle...

Kale is one of my go-to winter greens – you can pick up local kale in New England throughout most of the winter and it is versatile steamed, in stir-frys and soups. 

Now that spring is here (hurrah!), it’s a great time to start experimenting with salads. When combined with other veggies and a tasty dressing, raw kale has a great crunch and serves as a great base for a unique green salad. I recommend using lacinato (“dino”) kale for this recipe.

I experimented a few times with this almond dressing and I think I came up with proportions that work well – if you want a bit of a sweeter tang, increase the maple syrup and add a bit of lemon. Let me know what works for you!

Kale and Carrot Salad with Almond Dressing

Salad

1 bunch lacinato kale

2 carrots, chopped into ¼ inch circles, then into moon shapes

(I’ve also roughly shredded the carrots instead, which works well if you are looking to make more of a slaw).

1 yellow onion, roughly chopped (red onion works, too!)

½ cup almonds, roughly topped

 

Dressing

½ cup almond butter

¼ cup olive oil

1 tablespoon maple syrup 

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 TBSP gluten-free tamari

1/8 cup sesame oil

Combine the kale, carrot and onion in a bowl. Whisk together the ingredients for the dressing and pour over the kale mixture (add more olive oil if the dressing is too thick). Toss until greens are covered. Let sit for a few hours to allow flavors to meld. Sprinkle chopped almonds on top. Serve as a side or scoop up a big portion for your lunch or dinner!

Thanks for the kitchen inspiration, Michelle! We can't wait to try this out for ourselves. For those of you who are interested in giving this tasty salad a try, stop into our store for ingredients! We have everything mentioned in this recipe from kale to tamari!

Health & happiness,

* Post and pictures by Michelle Smith