Superfood Salad with Miso Dressing

There’s so much goodness in this superfood salad. Kale, avocado, cabbage, rice and more, all tossed with a miso dressing. Delicious! 143 calories and 4 Weight Watchers SP

There are some days when my body craves a big bowl of veggies, and this superfood salad takes on that role like the superhero it is! Packed with cruciferous vegetables (hello, fiber!), healthy plant-based protein, healthy fats and whole grains, it helps me reach my daily veggie goals while filling me up at lunchtime.

If you’re looking for an extra dose of protein, throw in another handful of edamame, or toss the salad with some baked tofu, seared shrimp or poached chicken breast.

WHAT YOU NEED FOR THIS SUPERFOOD SALAD:

These are the main components need for this recipe (affiliate links included)…

• Kale: Kale is available bundled as whole leaves, or chopped and sold in bags. Even though it seems more convenient to buy kale that’s already chopped, every bagged kale I’ve tried contains pieces of kale. It seems that they just chop the kale without first cutting out the tough, woody stems, so I end up spending even more time cutting out those tough pieces. Buying the whole leaves is definitely the way to go!
• Red cabbage: Yes, you could also use regular green or Napa cabbage, but red cabbage is so much prettier! Plus, it contains more fiber, Vitamin C, calcium, iron and potassium than green cabbage.
• Edamame: I buy edamame in the frozen food section – usually already shelled. If buying edamame in pods, follow the preparation direction on the package, remove the shells, then measure out 1 cup of edamame for this salad.
• Rice: This is a great way to use up brown rice from last night’s dinner. In fact, I often make a little extra rice so that I have some on hand for this salad. Quinoa could be substituted, especially handy if you have some frozen quinoa stashed away in your freezer.
• Carrot: Peel, then grate the carrot using the large holes on a box grater.
• Avocado: Remove the skin and seed of the avocado before chopping. See How to Prepare an Avocado if you’re unsure how to do this.
• Sunflower seeds: I always have a stash of raw, hulled sunflower seeds on hand because they add such a great nutty crunch to salads.
• Dressing: I made this Miso Ginger Dressing with this salad in mind, though it’s fantastic on almost salad or even drizzled on grilled shrimp.

How to make a superfood salad:

This salad requires some chopping, but is a breeze to make. There are just a couple of tips I wanted to share with you to make it taste even better!

First, massage the kale. My teenaged son thinks it’s ridiculous when I talk about massaging kale, but I promise that it makes a difference. Use a large, sharp knife to cut out the stems from the kale, then roughly chop the leaves. Place the chopped kale in a large colander. With warm water running over top, gently rub the kale leaves to tenderize them a bit. Drain well before adding to the salad.

Raw sunflower seeds add a nice burst of flavor, but they’re even better when toasted. Place the seeds in a small skillet set over medium heat and lightly toast. Keep an eye on the seeds and stir occasionally because those little suckers like to burn when left on the heat for too long. I set a timer to remind myself to shake the pan every minute so that I don’t forget to do so while I’m preparing the rest of the salad.

Can this kale salad be made ahead of time?

Yes! When making the salad ahead of time, hold off on dressing the salad and cutting/adding the avocado until ready to serve. The avocado will start to brown unless dressed (the lime juice in the dressing helps to slow the oxidation).

Since this recipe makes a big batch of salad, I like to make it on Sunday to have on hand for lunches during the week. I dress the salad with a bit of the dressing just before eating that day’s portion.

Other healthy lunch salads:

Thai Chicken Salad {Cookin’ Canuck}
Seared Shrimp Avocado Salad with Jicama & Strawberries {Cookin’ Canuck}
Moroccan Chicken Quinoa Salad {Cookin’ Canuck}
Chicken Salad Mason Jar Salad {Kristine’s Kitchen}
Mediterranean Chickpea Salad {Salt & Lavender}

Disclosure: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.