Spicy Kale Salad with Toasted Pumpkin Seeds
My dear friend Madeleine, tasked me with making a salad that she ate at a party one evening. She described it to me and I tweaked the original and made it my own. This savory and spicy salad has a kick from my Mexican Rub (recipe follows). It is a super flavorful salad and also a great make ahead dish! Usually a green salad will wilt if you make it ahead, but because of the fiber in the kale, this salad is still yummy and fresh even the next day. This salad is great for those that adore kale and those who are still unsure about it. I have served this kale salad to a lot of folks who are not big fans of kale and they loved it! It is a great way to add more of this super nutritious leafy green to your healthy spectrum. Try it and you may decide you love kale too!
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Appetizer, Salad, Side Dish
- Cuisine: American, Mexican
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 bunch kale (Curly or Flat, preferably organic)
- 1 ripe avocado (seeded, peeled and diced)
- 1 1/2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes (orange, yellow or red )
- 1 English cucumber (chopped)
- 1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
For the Dressing
- 1–1 1/2 T Marla’s Mexican Rub (see recipe notes)
- 1 lime (juiced)
- 1–1 1/2 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 t sea salt
Instructions
- Wash and dry the kale leaves. Using a paring knife, carefully trim the thick ribs out of the center of the each kale leaf. Then chop the kale laves in bite size pieces. Set the kale aside.
- Place a small dry frying pan over medium heat. Once it is warm, place the pumpkin seeds in the dry pan. Gently toast the pumpkin seeds until they are fragrant and golden in color. Remove the pumpkin seeds from the heat and set them aside in a small bowl to cool until the salad is ready.
- In a large bowl, combine the chopped kale, avocado, cucumber, tomatoes and pumpkin seeds. Sprinkle the Mexican Rub over the top of the salad, squeeze the lime juice over the top, and drizzle the olive oil on the salad and sprinkle with salt. Gently, but thoroughly toss the salad and dressing ingredients together until well coated. Taste the salad to make sure the seasoning is to your liking. Add more rub or salt if you like.
Notes
Here is yet another great use for Marla’s Mexican Rub! Get the full recipe here.
Spicy Kale Salad with Toasted Pumpkin Seeds – My dear friend Madeleine, tasked me with making a salad that she ate at a party one evening. She described it to me and I tweaked the original and made it my own. This savory and spicy salad has a kick from my Mexican Rub (recipe follows). It is a super flavorful salad and also a great make ahead dish! Usually a green salad will wilt if you make it ahead, but because of the fiber in the kale, this salad is still yummy and fresh even the next day. This salad is great for those that adore kale and those who are still unsure about it. I have served this kale salad to a lot of folks who are not big fans of kale and they loved it! It is a great way to add more of this super nutritious leafy green to your healthy spectrum. Try it and you may decide you love kale too! – kale (Curly or Flat, preferably organic), ripe avocado (seeded, peeled and diced), cherry or grape tomatoes (orange, yellow or red ), English cucumber (chopped), raw pumpkin seeds, For the Dressing: Marla's Mexican Rub (see recipe notes), lime (juiced), Extra Virgin Olive Oil, sea salt, , Wash and dry the kale leaves. Using a paring knife, carefully trim the thick ribs out of the center of the each kale leaf. Then chop the kale laves in bite size pieces. Set the kale aside.; Place a small dry frying pan over medium heat. Once it is warm, place the pumpkin seeds in the dry pan. Gently toast the pumpkin seeds until they are fragrant and golden in color. Remove the pumpkin seeds from the heat and set them aside in a small bowl to cool until the salad is ready. ; In a large bowl, combine the chopped kale, avocado, cucumber, tomatoes and pumpkin seeds. Sprinkle the Mexican Rub over the top of the salad, squeeze the lime juice over the top, and drizzle the olive oil on the salad and sprinkle with salt. Gently, but thoroughly toss the salad and dressing ingredients together until well coated. Taste the salad to make sure the seasoning is to your liking. Add more rub or salt if you like. ; ; – Here is yet another great use for <a title="Marla’s Mexican Rub" href="https://eatingenchanted.com/recipe/marlas-mexican-rub/">Marla's Mexican Rub</a>! Get the full recipe here. – Appetizer – Salad – Side Dish – American – Mexican – Dairy Free – Gluten Free – Low Carb – Paleo – Vegan – Vegetarian