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Vegan Kale Chopped Salad

This vegan kale chopped salad is full of vibrant colors and flavors, with Cajun-spiced chickpeas, roasted purple cauliflower, and chopped avocado.
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients
  

Roasted Purple Cauliflower

  • 1 Head Purple Cauliflower
  • Pinch Salt
  • Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
  • Pinch Cayenne optional

Cajun Chickpeas

  • 1 15 oz Can Chickpeas rinsed and dried
  • Drizzle Olive Oil
  • 1/2 Tsp Salt
  • 1 1/2 Tsp Cajun Seasoning
  • 1/2 Tsp Paprika

Kale Greens

  • 2 Very Large Handfuls Kale chopped
  • A Squeeze of Lemon Juice
  • Drizzle Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • Pinch Salt and Pepper

The Rest of the Salad

  • 1/2 Cucumber chopped
  • 1 Avocado chopped
  • Sprouts optional
  • Chopped Almonds optional
  • Hemp seeds optional

Instructions
 

Roasted Purple Cauliflower + Cajun Chickpeas

  • Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
  • Prep your cauliflower - wash, dry, and cut into small-ish florets. In a bowl, toss with oil, salt, and spices until evenly coated.
  • Prep your chickpeas - rinse, dry completely, and toss with oil, salt, and spices. 
  • On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, bake cauliflower and chickpeas for 25-30 minutes.
  • Optional - when done, remove cauliflower from baking sheet, and broil chickpeas in the oven for about 2-3 minutes, for extra crispiness. Be sure to check often to ensure they don't burn!

Kale Greens

  • To prep the kale greens, add them into a bowl with a squeeze of lemon juice, a drizzle of olive oil, and a pinch of both salt and pepper. Using your hands, rub the oil and lemon into the kale so that it becomes tender. Don't skip this step! 

The Rest of the Salad

  • Prep your veggies - chop up your cucumber and avocado. I would recommend discarding the inner part of the cucumber, as it gets rather soggy.

Putting it All Together

  • In a bowl, mix in the tenderized kale, veggies, chickpeas, cauliflower, almonds, hemp seeds, and sprouts. Toss until everything is evenly mixed.
  • Divide up the salad into 2-3 bowls (or one if you're feeling extra hungry!) 
  • Enjoy!

Notes

By tenderizing the kale with olive oil and lemon, you kind of have a built-in salad dressing already, but feel free to add your favorite dressing as extra if you'd like! Also, romanesco or regular white cauliflower would work just fine here too :)