It’s now officially spring and as the days are getting warmer, we are more and more drawn to crunchy salads over winter soups for lunch. I recently met Jessica Grosman over Instagram and we immediately bonded over a love for pumpkin seeds and plant-based desserts. Jessica is a registered dietitian and culinary nutrition educator with a passion for experimenting and putting her own creative spin on recipe classics. The top five things you’ll always find in her fridge? Kale, carrots, hummus, pumpkin seeds and Dijon mustard. If you love kale salad as much as I do, you’ll love her crunchy edition here; it’s full of healthy fats, fiber and antioxidants. And if you’re vegan or dairy-free, you’ll die for her dressing.
From Jessica: This simple salad is made with one of my go-to ingredients: kale! I created a delicious dressing made from Vanilla Spiced Sunflower Seed Butter. And instead of croutons, I swapped in Triple Berry Seed'nola for crunch!
Serves 3
Ingredients
- 1 bunch tuscan (lacinato) kale, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup blueberries
- 1/2 cup 88 Acres Triple Berry Seed'nola
- 1 1/2 tablespoons 88 Acres Vanilla Spiced Sunflower Seed Butter
- 2 tablespoons hot water
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- Pinch of sea salt
- 2 tablespoons sunflower seed oil (or other neutral oil)
Directions
First, make the salad dressing. Place the Seed Butter, hot water, lemon juice and sea salt in a small bowl. Stir to combine until completely smooth. Slowly pour the oil into the bowl, stirring with a whisk to combine. Taste for seasoning, add salt if needed to balance flavors. Set aside.
Put chopped kale in a large bowl. Add half of the dressing and toss to coat. Add more dressing, if desired. Scatter blueberries and Seed'nola over the top of the kale and drizzle remaining dressing on top.
Note: You can make the dressing ahead of time, keep chilled for up to two days before using. Stir gently before pouring over kale.
Jessica Grosman is a Registered Dietitian, recipe developer, and culinary nutrition educator. Her goal is to excite people and get them into the kitchen to cook their own food and find better health through the food they prepare for themselves. She earned both a BS and MS in Nutrition, prior to completing a dietetic internship in 2001. Additionally, she graduated with honors from the Academy of Culinary Nutrition’s Culinary Nutrition Expert (CNE) program. Jessica’s passion is sharing her knowledge and education with others; she is experienced in teaching cooking & nutrition classes to a wide variety of audiences. She currently is working as a recipe developer, cookbook recipe tester, and teaches boutique cooking classes. When not in the kitchen creating deliciously nourishing recipes, Jessica enjoys reading, exercising, and traveling with her family.