How to build a Raw Kale Salad

I have made A LOT of Raw(ish) Kale/Collard Salads in my days!  Having worked in two restaurants that were inside of health food stores, I had access to a lot of produce all of the time, so depending on my mood and ingredients on hand, I have sort of a template, which I would like to share with you.  Most of my recipes are really just templates I color with this spice or that grain, etc.

Basic Raw* Slaw

• 4 cups sturdy leafy greens (kale, mustard, chard, collards, spinach, escarole)
• 2 cups red or green cabbage
• 2 cups shredded carrots 
• 1/4 cup diced red onion
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 
• 2 tablespoons vinegar or citrus juice
• 1 tablespoon oil (olive, sesame, flax, coconut)

Massage together for 5 minutes or until the veggies start to break down

You are essentially 'cooking' the greens here and not paying attention to flavor. The carrots/onions add a nice dimension to the greens as they break down, creating a vegetable broth.

The greens are super juicy now and I take advantage of that juice and don't drain it. If you want a cleaner flavor, just strain for 5 minutes before proceeding.  I like to add some of these ingredients that soak up the juice and create a delicious dressing without a lot of extra oil (add around 1/4 cup each or 1 cup all together)

• toasted sesame seeds
• sunflower seeds
•  toasted dried coconut
• nutritional yeast 
• sun dried tomatoes
• dried mushrooms
• raisins
• dried cranberries
• apricots
• toasted walnuts
• toasted pumpkin seeds
• crystalized ginger
• chopped apples or pears (Dried would be great too)

Spices:

NO matter what I'm doing, I always add a small pinch of nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon toasted cumin seeds.

You can add 1/2 teaspoon of these:

• Basil, marjoram and rosemary for an Italian Salad (great with sun dried tomatoes, walnuts and nutritional yeast)
• Lemon Pepper, Coriander and Curry for Indian Slaw (great with coconut, and raisinis)
•  1/4 teaspoon Cardamom,  1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (with pumpkin seeds and crystalized ginger, apples and raisins)

Other ad ins:

• 2 cups seasonal fruit
• avocado (this creates an amazing creamy yummy dressing!)
• 1/2 cup Fresh Herbs  (basil, cilantro, mint, parsley or whatever you have on  hand)
• Various Raw Veggies  (Broccoli, peppers, celery, sprouts, lentil sprouts, anything you have that needs to be used)

Finally, taste and add to taste:

• Soy sauce/tamari/braggs or 
• Seasoning Salts
• Pepper
• Acid (vinegars, citrus juices, tamarind umeboshi)
• Your favorite spices
• More nutritional yeast 
• Your favorite oils (I add more oils last... and usually the best quality oils I have..)
• Hummus or your favorite bean based spreads

You basically want to get a nice balance of savory, acidic, sweet, crunchy.. 

*rawish because not all the ad ins are raw

• Make sure your hands are VERY clean before making this salad
• This will keep (as long as you NEVER double dip or use the same tasting spoon) for up to 4 days in the fridge.

I hope you play around with what you have on hand.  That is how the BEST creations are made.

Do you have a favorite Raw Kale Salad?