CHRISTMAS SALAD (KALE AND GRAPE TOMATO SALAD)

CHRISTMAS SALAD (KALE AND GRAPE TOMATO SALAD)

(suitable for vegans)

Kale leaves have drawn my attention only in Canada when I have seen them available throughout the year and in plenty. When I have shown interest in Kale I realized it is a very good vegetable, with lots of health benefits because it has a lot of minerals and vitamins. These days I am using kale in many dishes. In my family, all are salad fans and almost every day we eat salad in some form.

When I was in Botswana, kale was not available there. Some other vegetables and fruits were also difficult to get there partly because they were not grown locally and also because there was a low demand for those vegetables. Most of the vegetables which were available were imported from South Africa or other neighbouring countries.

Sometimes during holidays, we visited South Africa, and in our return journey, we were buying vegetables. My problem is that once I am in a specialized fruit and veg shop, I am tempted to buy many of them. That is the reason sometimes we had to declare these items at the border post, the officers were laughing and asking us “why are you buying the veggies and fruits from other countries”. Our simple answer was that they are not available in Botswana and being vegetarians we need them.

This morning, I thought how can I make a salad with only Kale as the main ingredient, next question came to my mind was that, what type of dressing can I use in it. Then I thought of making some white dressing, which can go with the dark green colour of kale, so I went to my pantry looked around for some white ingredients, which should not only be tasty but healthy and this is the result. The final product is in front of you, which the whole family has really enjoyed.

RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

• 250 grams kale leaves
• 100 grams grape (cherry) tomatoes
• 10 grams dried cranberries
• 2 tablespoon roasted sunflower seeds
• 1 teaspoon roasted sesame seeds

For Dressing

• 200 grams onion (one large)
• 4-5 garlic cloves
• 50 grams sesame seeds
• 2 tablespoon oil
• 2 tablespoon white vinegar
• 2 tablespoon castor sugar
• Salt and black pepper powder to taste

METHOD

FOR DRESSING:-

• In a frying pan dry roast the sesame seeds and leave it to cool.
• Heat oil in a frying pan and roast garlic and onion together. When it is lightly brown switch off the gas and leave it to cool.
• Take roasted garlic and onion, add sesame seeds, vinegar and castor sugar, salt, add a little water and pulse all the material together in a food processor for 2-3 minutes till it looks like a liquid paste. Take it out in a container.
• Rinse kale 3-5 times in running water, remove the hard stem and chop the leaves into small pieces. Spread it in a wide open salad bowl.
• Sprinkle the washed and half cut grape tomatoes on top together with cranberries.
• Sprinkle black pepper powder and sunflower seeds
• Decorate on top with the dressing (white paste) and serve.
• It can be served cold as a salad to 4-5 people.

This recipe I am sending as my blog entry for the event.
Also as my blog entry for the event., with Food year link up, and with Wonderful Wednesday and with Real Food Friday, and Food and Fitness Friday,

Also as my blog entry for the event here and here., and also on The Hearth and Soul Hop event,and also with Extra Veg February, and with Creative Spark Link party, and with What'd you do this 
weekend, and with Healthy living link party,