This evening I made a batch of my beloved Savoy Cabbage-Tomato-Almond Butter Chopped Salad and decided to make a kissing cousin with Kale. And between the two of them, I gorged my fill, with nothing but a fork as a side dish. No chips, no Ezekiel bread, just the two salads, a big bowl of the cabbage salad and a small dish of this wonderfully rich Kale-Red Pepper-Almond Butter salad. I was in heaven.

And honestly, these salads are so flavorful and filling, you can’t over-eat them. They just satisfy so thoroughly.

This salad, like all my other savory chopped salads, will be great as a “salsa” or dip to go with chips, or as a filling for a raw wrap or a “rawish” salad sandwich. And, again like the Savoy cabbage salad, the kale is structured enough that you can make a nice large batch and still be able to enjoy it the day after tomorrow without it degenerating into a wilted, sloppy mess! To me, this is a huge virtue because you can keep good things in your fridge that you can reach for when you’re starving and have been too on-the-go to keep up with kitchen duty.

Make both of these lovelies… frequently… for yourself or for guests or parties… and enjoy!

Suggested options:

Add chopped raw mushrooms, of any kind (YUM).

Add chopped raw pecans, either as a garnish on the top (hello, raw potluck!) or to mix in. (Mushrooms AND pecans would be spectacular!)

Add chopped grape or cherry tomatoes.

And would be wonderful as a “sushi” filling for nori seaweed rolls!

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Recipe for: Meat-Lover’s Kale Salad, with Red Pepper & Almond Butter

Explosively Flavorful Raw Vegan Main Dish

• 2-1/2 cups finely chopped kale (I used “flat” or “elephant” kale here, but this would also work with curly kale)
• 1 red pepper (approximately 1 cup) finely chopped
• 1/2 cup (measure light) finely chopped red onion
• 1/2 cup raw almond butter (not roasted)
• 1/3 cup cold-pressed olive oil
• 1 tablespoon raw, unpasteurized apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon quality natural salt, such as Himalayan Crystal salt
• 1 teaspoon natural sweetener, such as raw cane sugar (rapadura), raw honey, or organic palm sugar (that’s what I used here)
• generous grindings fresh black pepper

Add all ingredients into large bowl and toss & stir well to combine the dressing evenly over the kale. I like to use two large spoons to help break up and combine the almond butter.

Best technique would be to add the dressing ingredients into the bowl first, stir well, then add the veggies. But… meh…plopping everything in and enjoying how pretty it all is has its merit, too.

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