almond dressing Archives • New Nostalgia

Kale Slaw With Curried Almond Dressing

kale slaw with carrots, almonds, dried apricots and sliced apples

I’m always looking for ways to get my greens in, especially kale. Kale is an amazing, nutrient rich food. On Dr. Furhman’s Nutrient Density Score, Kale gets a whopping 100%. This means Kale is an incredible “nutrients per calorie” food.

This Kale Slaw with Curried Almond Dressing was such a refreshing way to eat kale. I usually put kale in my green smoothies or make kale chips, but I wanted delicious way to eat it raw. I certainly found it!

What makes this slaw so special is the dressing. It really brings this slaw to life–DON’T SKIP IT!

The dressing recipe caught my eye because it does not use oil. Love that! It uses the natural oils in the nuts as an emulsifier. I’m getting more and more into homemade salad dressings that use nuts in place of oil, especially now that I have a Vitamix blender that can pulverize those nuts into the smoothest of dressings.

The dressing is a snap to whip up. It takes just minutes. So creamy!

Almond curried salad dressing and kale salad

I had quite a bit of dressing left over, and used it as an awesome vegetable dip.

Isn’t that that salad so pretty? I used my favorite mandolin slicer for the apples and carrots. It is one of my most used kitchen utensils because it is so fast!

I changed the original recipe up a bit, using the fruits I had on hand. The apples & dried apricots make this a nice, hearty fall salad. It would be a beautiful addition to your Thanksgiving menu.

homemade dressing poured over kale salad

The dressing is luxurious. No one would ever know that the only fats are healthy ones from the nuts. It does not a strong curry taste, so even those who are not big curry fans just might like this dressing.

Something I love so much about kale is how it holds up to dressing. You can store this for days and the leaves will not get soggy. It makes a big batch, and after we had it with a pasta dinner, I ate the leftovers for lunch for several days.

Kale Slaw With Curried Almond Dressing
via Let Them Eat Vegan

Kale Slaw

1 apple sliced & tossed in 1 tsp of lemon juice
2 1/2-3 cups julienned kale (leaves cut/torn from stems and stems discarded)
1 cup sliced cherry tomatoes
1 1/2 cups sliced or grated carrot
1 apple sliced & tossed in 1 tsp of lemon juice (could use clementines instead)
1/3 cup dried apricots, cut into bite-sized pieces (could use dried cranberries instead)
1/3 cup sliced almonds
Extra salt & pepper

Place all ingredients into a large bowl. Toss to combine. Add Curried Almond Dressing. Toss to coat well, then let sit for 5 minutes or more to allow the kale leaves to soften slightly in the dressing. Serve, garnishing with a light sprinkling of almonds and extra salt and pepper, if desired.

Curried Almond Dressing

1/2 cup raw almonds
2 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup or agave nectar
2/3 cup water (or more to thin as needed…see note.)
1 very small clove garlic
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper (optional)
1/8 teaspoon curry powder, or more to taste (see note)

Using a standing blender or an immersion blender and deep cup or jar, puree all the ingredients (starting with 1/2 cup of the water) until very smooth. (A high-powered blender such as a Vitamix works best to smooth out the dressing; using an immersion blender or regular blender will leave a little more texture and take a little longer. ) Add additional curry to taste, and additional water to thin as desired.

Note: 1/8 rounded teaspoon of curry powder in this dressing makes for a very muted flavor, but if you love curry, use more.

Note: Adjust water according to you tastes. If making this as a vegetable dip, use less water.