A satisfyingly crunchy kale salad!
This satisfyingly crunchy salad is a light meal for our post holiday feasting! You could even toss in some of that leftover turkey to mix-up the leftovers. The salad is full of yummy, crisp (and alliterative!) veggies – kale and cabbage and carrots. But the bonus crunch comes from the quinoa that we crisp up in the oven and toss in the salad right before serving.
Making crunchy quinoa
Crunchifying our quinoa takes a little bit of time but it will last for over a week so I tend to do it in batches. Starting with cooked quinoa and a preheated oven at 400°F, spread the quinoa evenly on a sheet pan and salt to taste. Pop it in the oven for about 10 minutes and then give it a stir to rotate all the lovely quinoa grains. It will likely still be rather sticky and not crisp in the least bit. Repeat twice for 30 minutes in the oven. At this point, your grains will be much drier and started to darken but still probably need more time (think 5 to 15 minutes depending on your oven and crunch preference) to fully crunchify, however, it is best to shorten the oven intervals as you get close to the color and texture you are aiming for because this can go from perfect crunchy to extra crunchy in very little time.
simplify with some shortcuts
This salad involves some chopping (read: its all chopping). But if you are not in the mood for cathartic chopping, the grocery store can do it for you! Kale, cabbage and carrots are relatively easy to find pre-chopped and packaged in the produce section. Chopped kale can typically be found with the bunched greens. This bag will most likely have a handful of impossible to chew without cooking stems. Remove any of these pieces before using. Julienned carrots are sometimes labeled as matchstick carrots. They are typically found with the bags of whole and baby carrots. Shredded cabbage is likely to be found near the salad kits. Some of my local stores have cabbage only bags but most have coleslaw blends. The coleslaw blend will work here. You might even be able to skip the separate bag of carrots if the blend has a ratio to your liking.
Beyond the veggies
I am all about salads that are overloaded with “toppings.” Some options we really enjoy for this salad are cheese (blue for me, cheddar for Pop), chickpeas, shredded chicken (plain or buffalo seasoned), jalapenos for extra spice, avocado for mellowing the spice. And we could go on…maybe a hardboiled egg, some crumbled bacon, diced celery. You get the idea – make it your own!
If you give this Buffalo Kale Salad a try, share it with us over on Instagram @theveryhungrycrafter. We can’t wait to hear from you!
Buffalo Kale Salad
Ingredients
- 1 bunch kale approx. 11oz full bunch; approx. 6oz with tough stems removed
- 8 oz cabbage, red or green approx. half a small head of cabbage
- 5 oz julienned carrots
- 1/2 red onion medium sized
- 1/2 cup ranch or blue cheese dressing
- 1/4 cup buffalo sauce more to taste
- 2 oz crunchy quinoa see Notes below
Optional add-ins
- blue cheese crumbles
- cheddar cheese, grated or cubed
- chickpeas
- shredded chicken
- thinly sliced jalapeno
- diced avocado
Instructions
- Roughly chop the kale, discarding tough stems. Thinly slice cabbage and red onion.
- Place kale, cabbage, carrots, and red onion in a large bowl. Toss to combine.
- Mix ranch or blue cheese dressing with buffalo sauce. Pour over the veggies and toss to coat well. Rest for 5 minutes to allow the greens to soften.
- Toss veggies again after resting to be sure they are well coated. Add crunchy quinoa and any other add-ins. Toss to combine. Serve immediately.
Leave a Reply