This Kale Crunch Salad is so easy and simple to make, and is filled with a tasty mix of crunchy vegetables! With vegan, vegetarian, and keto options.
A few weeks back, I took my Granny to get her coronavirus vaccine. I hadn’t had time to eat earlier that day, so when I drove us back to her house, she shared some of this salad she made up with me. My dad’s side of the family is a typical English/Scottish-American “meat and potatoes” group. But in recent years, I’ve seen my Granny eat way more salads. But she is always cautious with food because she grew up in the height of the Great Depression. I always get the sense that she is grateful to even just have food on the table. As I’ve realized this over the years, I’ve been making her more food every week when I’m with her. I do this to show her I care but also so she knows that she’ll never have to go without again.
Back to this salad! After the vaccine appointment, Granny pulled out a big mixing bowl of this exact salad from her fridge. It had kale, romaine, bell peppers, carrots, broccoli, a bit of red onion, and bleu cheese. I am not someone who usually includes cheese in salads, but I was pleasantly surprised about how much flavor it brought. Granny and I tossed our salads in a Vidalia onion vinaigrette, and I ate almost two bowls of it. It’s now on regular rotation here at my house!
This kale crunch salad is amazing with the bleu cheese, but feel free to sub in feta or omit the cheese entirely. I do recommend any Vidalia onion vinaigrette (they’re sold at almost every grocery store), but feel free to sub in another vinaigrette that you like.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as Granny and I did!
Recipe tip: Try using this salad as the base for a vegan bowl with spicy chickpeas!
Kale Crunch Salad
Ingredients
Salad Base
- 2 Heads Romaine Lettuce chopped
- 1 Bunch Kale or 3-4 cups, chopped
- 1 Yellow Bell Pepper diced
- 1 Orange Bell Pepper diced
- 1 1/2 Cups Raw Broccoli stems removed, finely chopped
- 1 1/2 Cups Shredded Carrots
- 1/4 Medium Red Onion finely diced
Recommended Toppings
- Bleu Cheese
- Vidalia Onion Vinaigrette
Instructions
- Start by prepping all of your vegetables. Be sure to wash and dry the kale and romaine before preparation.
- Add all of the ingredients into the bowl, with the bleu cheese (if using). For best results, let the salad sit in the fridge for 1-2 hours so the flavors can mix.
- Serve the salad THEN add in the vinaigrette. Always add the dressing at the last minute – putting it on too soon decreases the crunch!
- Enjoy!
Notes
-
- I strongly recommend this salad with Vidalia onion vinaigrette and bleu cheese. However, feel free to omit the cheese for a vegan option.
- For a more filling meal, feel free to add in any proteins or toppings you like, such as nuts and seeds.
- To make this salad keto, omit the onions and replace with scallions, which is a suitable substitute for most people. Also use the keto dressing of your choice!
- This salad travels well, as long as the dressing is not added yet!
- The salad will keep in the fridge for about 3-4 days.
P.S.
For more vegan and vegetarian recipes and meal inspiration, be sure to follow along on Instagram @wellandfull! If you make a recipe, please tag me in the photo and use the hashtag #wellandfull so I can see! I love seeing your creations!
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