Sunflower Crunch Kale Salad

Wooden bowl full of kale salad with a fork and a golden napkin to the side, ready to eat.

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This delicious kale salad is positively packed with fresh, bold flavors. Loaded with micronutrients, this healthy salad is the perfect side dish or light meal.

Prep Time15

Cook Time0

Total Time15

Course: Salads

Cuisine: American

Keyword: healthy kale salads, kale recipes

Servings: Servings

Calories: 570kcal

Author: Julia Mueller

Ingredients

1 large bunch kale rinsed well and chopped (6 cups)*
1 large lemon juiced
1 (15-oz) can garbanzo beans drained and rinsed
1 large ripe avocado diced
2/3 cup parmesan cheese grated, to taste
½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup red onion finely chopped
⅓ cup sunflower seeds
⅓ cup pumpkin seeds

Lemon Parsley Dressing:

5 Tbsp avocado oil
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp dijon mustard
¼ cup fresh parsley loosely packed
1 small clove garlic optional
Pinch sea salt to taste

Instructions

Begin by making the dressing. Combine the salad dressing ingredients in a small bowl or measuring cup and stir well until combined. Set aside or refrigerate in an airtight jar until ready to use.
Soak the kale leaves in water for 15 minutes. This helps clean the leaves and remove any unwanted critters. Drain the leaves and give them a good shake. If they seem very wet, you can pat the kale leaves dry with paper towels or use a salad spinner to spin off any excess water.
Transfer the kale leaves to a large cutting board. Use a sharp knife to separate the leaves from the tough stems. I do this by standing up a leaf and running a knife down the sides of the stalk to release the leaves. You can also perform this step by tearing the leaves off of the thick stems using your hands.
Discard the kale stems and chop the leaves finely into small pieces. This will make the kale easier to chew and consume.
Transfer the chopped kale leaves to a large bowl and squeeze a whole lemon into the bowl with the leaves. Use your hands to massage the lemon juice into the leaves. This process helps break down some of the tough fibers, which makes the kale easier to chew and digest. It also compresses the leaves so that they aren’t so springy, making lots of kale easier to handle.
Add the drained garbanzo beans, diced avocado, dried cranberries, grated parmesan cheese, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds (the rest of the salad ingredients) to the mixing bowl.
Pour in your desired amount of lemon-parsley dressing (I use the whole batch) and use salad tongs or two large wooden spoons to toss everything together until all of the ingredients are coated with dressing and are well distributed. Taste the salad for flavor and add any additional ingredients such as a drizzle of olive oil or more sunflower seeds to your personal taste.
Serve the salad and enjoy!

Notes

*If your head of kale is extra large and measures out to more than 6 cups when chopped, be sure to make more dressing to accommodate the larger volume of leaves. Also consider adding more of the other salad ingredients as well.

Store leftover kale salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours. If you intend on making the salad last longer, only add the avocado and the dressing just before eating the salad. This prevents the avocado from turning brown too quickly and ensures the salad ingredients don’t get soggy.

Nutrition