Kale Salad with Spicy Peanut Dressing
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Last updated on Oct 11, 2021
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Tender kale with a rich and spicy peanut dressing and chopped red onion! This salad is packed with umami flavor and a fabulous side dish for almost any meal.
Ever since visiting M Café in Los Angeles over five years ago I have been obsessed. <— Why does California have all the delicious, healthy restaurants?!? I’m having withdrawals… I need to plan another visit!
I loved everything I tried at M Café but was particularly keen on their kale salad with spicy peanut dressing. The peanut dressing they use is seriously amazing! After returning home from LA I was determined to recreate the salad. I found out the ingredients via a cooking video (which has since been taken down).
Anyhow, just recently I remade the salad and was quickly reminded how much I love it! I updated the recipe a bit, took new photos and figured I would re-share it for all my new readers or those who may have missed it the first time around.
Peanut Sauce + Kale = Best Combo Ever!
If you love peanut sauce and are looking for a new kale salad to try, look no further. You will adore this salad!
Blanching the kale tenderizes the leaves which makes the kale easier to chew and digest. The spicy peanut dressing with fresh ginger and garlic gives the salad an umami-rich flavor.
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
Kale Salad with a Spicy Peanut Dressing
Ingredients
- 3-4 large bunches kale
- 1/2 red onion, chopped
Spicy Peanut Dressing
- 1 cup natural peanut butter
- 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
- ¾-1 Tablespoons fresh ginger, chopped
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- ¼ cup tamari
- ¼ cup brown rice syrup , or honey
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 2-3 ounces hot water, plus more if needed
Instructions
- Wash kale well. Remove large, tough stems and cut or break large leaves into pieces.
- Blanch in boiling water for about 2-3 minutes. Transfer the kale with a slotted spoon to a bowl full of ice water to cool it immediately.
- Drain well and squeeze out all the liquid with your hands.
- Place the dressing ingredients (except the hot water) into a high-powered blender and blend until the mixture becomes smooth. Add water to thin sauce.
- Drizzle about half the dressing on top of the kale and mix the two together. Add more dressing until kale looks coated. You’ll probably have dressing leftover (read notes for ideas of what to do with it).
- Garnish kale salad with chopped red onions and serve.
Notes
- Store the leftover dressing in the fridge and reuse it later. I’ve added water and re-blended it to use on regular salads or as a veggie sauce. It works nicely on other vegetables besides kale and it will keep for 2-3 weeks in the fridge.
- Inspired by M Café.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
More Kale Salads to Try:
- Garlicky Kale Salad
- Massaged Kale Salad
- Kale & Cabbage Pad Thai Salad
- Kale and Brussels Sprout Salad
- Butternut Squash Kale Salad
- Sweet Potato Kale and Quinoa Salad
- Detox Salad
I love M Cafe!! I live in West Hollywood, but wanted to try making this salad at home. Yours is the first recipe I found!! Hooray!
So glad this kale salad was a hit, Robyn! Thanks so much for the review 🙂
Made this for a dinner party. Guests loved the dressing! I added a drizzle of sesame oil
Yum! I am so pumped to hear that this dressing was a hit. Thank you for sharing your review & star rating, I appreciate it.