Kale Superfood Salad With Green Goddess Dressing

The other night I decided to take a trip through memory lane and look at my oldest Instagram photos. Of course I got nostalgic, and even though I have come a long way since the days when I through together kale salads before work and photographed them on the floor outside of my apartment door, I definitely missed some of the old types of recipes I made when I was just getting started blogging and was not thinking of anything like lighting, composition, or food styling.

So I decided to do a throwback and make a salad similar to the type I would do back in the day. This kale salad is filled with superfoods such as sweet potatoes, sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, and lentils, and the Green Goddess dressing is completely vegan, with a cashew and avocado base. 

With this recipe, you'll likely have some leftover Green Goddess dressing to use later on as well! It also doubles as a delicious dip. 

Ingredients (serves 1)

• 3 cups kale leaves, broken into pieces or chopped
• 1 small sweet potato
• 1/2 cup cooked green lentils
• 1/4 cup plum tomatoes, halved
• 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
• 2 tablespoons hemp seeds
• Olive oil
• Sea salt

Ingredients for Green Goddess Dressing

• 1/4 cup soaked raw cashews (I soak mine overnight)
• 1/2 ripe avocado
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
• 2 stalks green onion, chopped
• 1 large clove of garlic (or 2 small)
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1. Add kale to a large bowl. Drizzle a little olive oil and add a dash of sea salt, and massage kale leaves to soften them. Rub between your fingers to break up the fibers.

2. Finely dice up sweet potato into squares, and add to a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 3 to 4 minutes until sweet potato is soft. If you aren't pressed for time, you can also roast them at 425 degrees for about 15 minutes. 

3. Add sweet potato, cooked lentils, tomatoes, sunflower seeds, and hemp seeds to kale. 

4. Prepare dressing by blending together cashews, avocado, basil leaves, green onion, garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil and a blender or food processor until smooth.

5. Add dressing to kale bowl, and toss until everything is evenly coated.