Healthy Creamy Mexican Kale Salad
Try this Healthy Creamy Mexican Kale Salad recipe, or contribute your own.
Try this Healthy Creamy Mexican Kale Salad recipe, or contribute your own.
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 1/2 cup red onion finely chopped
- 1/2 cup cilantro finely chopped
- 4 cups baby or full-grown kale (stalks removed & coarsely packed
- 14 oz can black beans drained and rinsed (i used my cooked beans)
- 1 cup corn (thaw if using frozen)
- 2 large bell peppers (any colour) finely chopped
- 1 + 1/2 large avocado finely chopped
- 1 large tomato finely chopped
- 1 tbsp jalapeã±o peppers seeded & minced
- 1/2 large avocado
- 1/2 lime, juice of
- Carbohydrate 11.3834699997194 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 15.0255599999705 g
- Fiber 7.15549980680741 g
- Protein 2.39271749993581 g
- Saturated Fat 2.16044499999705 g
- Serving Size 1 1 recipe (248g)
- Sodium 14.1452499999524 mg
- Sugar 4.22797019291204 g
- Trans Fat 0.978220499990203 g
- Calories 173 calories
Step-by-step
- Add Salad ingredients to a large bowl.
- In a food processor, blender or Magic Bullet, process Dressing ingredients until smooth.
- Pour over salad, toss and serve.
- P.S. You could prepare Salad and Dressing in advance and combine before serving.
- The Dressing does get brown a bit but once mixed with the Salad, it's not noticeable.
Massaging and Blending the Base
Processing the dressing components requires a standard countertop blender or a compact personal blender like a Magic Bullet to fully emulsify the avocado fats with warm water and lime juice. Ensure the blade assembly is tightly sealed before running the machine for 45 seconds until the mixture turns completely uniform. When preparing the leafy greens, stripping away the fibrous central stalks prevents a tough chew and allows the dressing to coat the tender surface area evenly. Rinsing canned black beans thoroughly under cold running water removes the metallic canning liquid, whereas cooking dry beans from scratch yields a firmer starch structure that holds up better against heavy agitation.
Managing Moisture in Fresh Vegetables
Finely chopping the red onion, bell peppers, and tomatoes to a uniform three-millimeter dice ensures that no single bite overpowers the palate. Salting the vegetables lightly and letting them drain in a colander for 10 minutes draws out excess surface water, protecting the avocado-based emulsion from becoming watery. Thawing frozen corn completely and patting the kernels dry with paper towels stops unwanted liquid from pooling at the bottom of the mixing vessel. Mincing the jalapeño pepper without its white ribs and seeds dials down the capsaicin heat while preserving the crisp vegetal bite.
Storage and Dietary Flexibility
Avocado-heavy dressings oxidize rapidly when exposed to ambient oxygen, turning brown due to enzymatic browning, but storing the blended mixture in an airtight glass jar with plastic wrap pressed directly against the surface slows this chemical reaction for up to 24 hours. Because the formula naturally excludes animal products, gluten, and nuts, substituting canned black beans with pinto beans or chickpeas requires no other adjustments to the ratios. Combining the elements just 15 minutes prior to consumption allows the kale leaves to soften slightly without losing their structural integrity.
