Coming to you VERY excited today because our wedding playlist is finally coming together. I’ve been rocking out to amazing indie inspired playlists on Spotify and FINALLY found the song I’m going to walk down the aisle to.
And the song is…
PEACHES AND CREAM BY 112.
JOKES. Sorry to say I won’t be revealing, otherwise there’d be no real surprise element, but know I’ll reveal once we’ve officially tied the knot.
Anyway, onto this gorgeous Thai Kale Salad, which just so happens to be inspired by one of my favorite salads in the entire world. This version is made up of lush green kale, edamame, sweet seasonal mango, veggies like carrot, bell pepper and cabbage and cilantro! Literally #alltheveggies happening.
The key to keeping this salad incredibly tasty is to massage the kale. Yes that’s right I said you’re going to give your kale a good old sexy massage. I know… seems weird, but I assure you it’s what makes this salad AMAZING.
So, why massage the kale with the dressing?
It’s simple: Kale breaks down and becomes more tender and slightly sweeter when it’s massaged, even if it’s for only 5 minutes. It also helps distribute the dressing into every little crevice of the kale leaves, leaving amazing peanut flavor in every bite.
So I hope you enjoy this salad as much as I did. It’s great for lunch, and is naturally vegan and gluten free — if that’s your thing.
More healthy salad recipes to try:
Kale, Edamame & Quinoa Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
Thai Chicken Quinoa Salad with Peanut Dressing
Butternut Squash and Kale Salad with Pomegranate, Toasted Almonds + Goat Cheese
Famous Crunchy Cashew Thai Quinoa Salad
Vegan Curried Broccoli Chickpea Salad
If you make this recipe, be sure to tag #ambitiouskitchen on Instagram or leave a comment below letting me know how you liked it!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Chopped Thai Kale Salad with Peanut Ginger Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 bunch Tuscan kale, finely chopped (about 4-5 cups)
- 1 mango, diced
- 1 cup cooked shelled edamame
- 1 large carrot, shredded
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 2 cups shredded red cabbage
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
- ¼ cup diced green onion, plus more for garnish
- For the dressing:
- ¼ cup creamy natural peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil (regular sesame oil also works)
- 1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce (gluten free, if desired)
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
- 1 small lime, juiced
- ½ tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 1-2 tablespoons water to thin
- To garnish:
- 1/2 cup roasted cashews
- Extra cilantro and green onion
Instructions
- Add chopped kale to a large bowl.
- In a small bowl, mix together the dressing ingredients: peanut butter, sesame oil, gluten free soy sauce, rice vinegar, maple syrup, lime juice and ginger. Mix to combine. Add water to thin if necessary to make a dressing like consistency.
- Pour dressing on kale, then massage kale with clean hands for 5 minutes in order to tenderize the kale and allow it to sweeten just a bit.
- Next add in the mango, edamame, shredded carrot, bell pepper, cabbage, cilantro and green onion. Toss to combine. Serve immediately, topping each serving with a tablespoon of cashew halves and additional green onion.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Mango, bell peppers, edamame and carrots all in a salad?! Sign me up!
The best! I hope you’ve had the chance to try 🙂
what a tease!! (; glad you figured out your song though (: if this got made ahead and the kale got to marinate in the dressing for a while, do you think the massaging would still be necessary or would the dressing do enough of the heavy lifting?
Hey Heather! I think the dressing would do enough of the heavy lifting – let me know how it works out!
Gotta make this one tonight..but how exactly do you massage the kale?
Hi Janice! Just rub the dressing into all of the kale while you mix with your hands (can’t go wrong!)
Can’t wait to try this! If I substituted coconut aminos for the soy sauce, should I keep the amount the same?
Yes! They’re 1:1.
Oooh…the add of peanuts so good!
The perfect crunchy bites!
very colorful! looks fantastic!
Hope you love!!
Loving all of the colors and flavors! 🙂
This salad should be everyone’s favourite!!!! I’m also a firm advocate of the kale massage! Great post and recipe! Sharing!!!
xo
Ashley
The kale massage is EVERYTHING! Glad you like 🙂
I’m not quite at an age to make a wedding playlist, BUT I do love making song playlists! I’ve been loving Kendrick Lamar lately. I know, call me millennial, but I can’t stop dancing to his songs!
Love me some Kendrick!
Made it for dinner tonight. So good. This is my first try at making something with kale and I massaged the hell out of those leaves, but it worked. My husband didn’t want any kale since he thought he wouldn’t like it. He tried it – his comment, “this is good.” The dressing and mango make the salad. Don’t try to make without. Followed recipe exactly. Would have licked the bowl if I thought no one was looking. Made your turkey burgers last night and had one leftover so we each had half a turkey burger to go with salad. Exceptional salad and healthy. What’s not to like?!
Amazing! Yes the kale-massage really enhances the flavor (so glad your husband liked it, too!)
How long would this last in the fridge?
This should last for about 4-5 days!
Love this salad! I’ve made it twice and its fantastic. Two things to mention if it helps someone else, both times it took me an hour to make (but you will have a lot so will last you a few days. And second, I played around with the number of cups of kale, at first 4 or 5 didn’t seem enough and then the next time I use like 8 haha and it was way too much. So maybe 6 would be perfect for my tastes but dont be afraid to play around with it. Awesome, fresh recipe!
I’m glad you love this one! Noted on the timing – some pre-chopped veggies will help cut down the time, too 🙂 And yes this one’s perfect for customizing to your taste!
I made it for a BBQ tonight & everyone LOVED it! It was a big hit! I might add a bit of heat next time – maybe some minced Jalapeño? But otherwise, loved all of the flavors, color & dressing.
So happy to hear that! And yes jalapeño would be delicious in here 🙂
I can’t eat mango. Is there another fruit you would recommend substituting?
Try peach instead!
Amazing!! I know I will be making this often! Thank you for a great recipe!
Absolutely! Enjoy!
This salad is so tasty and beautiful. I love it!
We all loved this!! Added baked Gardein ‘chicken’, chopped sugar snap peas and subbed in a broccoli slaw that included carrots and red cabbage (made prep time much faster!). Also added a little sriracha sauce to the dressing! We’ll be having this regularly now!!
Perfect! This one’s great for customizing. Glad you enjoyed!
THE MOST AWESOME SALAD!
My cooking club’s theme was Thai, I made this salad to be healthy and break up all the heavy food served.
It was a hit….such an array of color and distinct flavors.
Keep the dressing separate until ready to serve….
❤️💜💙
Delicious.