Hello — why not try a salad bowl dive?
Surprising plot twist: even though the year is only a few days old, I’m genuinely craving kale salads. For once I’m not leaning on the usual clichés — well, not completely.
If you follow me on Snapchat or Instagram, you’ve probably seen these massive kale salads. We’ve been eating them at least once (sometimes twice) a week for months.
My favorite — the one that convinced Eddie — is a Greek yogurt Caesar kale salad. I could practically make it with my eyes closed now.
There are two salads that changed the way I feel about salads. I mean the kind that you actually enjoy: satisfying, full-flavored, and not something you’re silently hoping will morph into a bacon cheeseburger at lunch.
The first is a BBQ salmon salad tossed with butter lettuce, feta, crispy chickpeas and roasted red peppers. Salmon in a salad is a win — when it’s cooked right it flakes into little flavor bombs that make every bite delicious.
The second is a classic taco salad. Not the Doritos-crushed version (that’s a rare time I like Doritos), but a home-style salad with crushed tortilla chips, lots of grated cheese, salsa and chicken.
This is my 2016 take on the taco salad — the millennial, high-maintenance, new-kid-on-the-block version. There’s a lot to love about it, so here’s what makes it special.
First, the dressing. It’s a Greek yogurt–chipotle–avocado hybrid. If you don’t love avocado, swap in another high-fat ingredient like sour cream or mayo to cut the yogurt tang. It has a little heat and smoky depth, and you’ll coat your kale with it — that’s where most of the flavor lives.
Next, the tortilla strips. I slice yellow corn tortillas, toss them with oil and seasoning, then bake until golden and crispy. If you don’t make them from scratch, a good-quality store-bought corn tortilla works too — baking them makes all the difference.
Then come the usual suspects: grape tomatoes, red onion or scallions, more avocado, freshly grated cheese (because yes), sliced hot peppers, black beans, salsa and cilantro. I skipped meat because the bowl is plenty hearty as-is — Eddie, of course, made chicken on the side.
One of the great things about kale is that it holds up in the fridge. Properly dressed and massaged, it won’t wilt into a sad pile by lunch the next day. That sturdiness makes leftovers easy and reliable — lunch, or even breakfast if you’re me.
So that’s the story. Are you declaring today the official start of the new year too? A little wistful the holidays are over, but also glad to have the house back from under glitter, lights and pine-scented candles. Drinking more water, craving a small celebratory glass of something bubbly, but wanting to feel green and good — I get it. Life feels complicated and kind of great.
Crunchy Taco Kale Salad
2 to 4
15 mins
45 mins
Pin Recipe
Leave a Review »
Ingredients
Crunchy chili tortilla strips
- 4 (4-inch) corn tortillas
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Chipotle lime avocado dressing
- 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon adobo sauce (from canned chipotle peppers)
- 2 limes, juiced
- 1 avocado
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- Pinch of salt and pepper
Salad
- 1 head curly green kale, leaves torn from stems
- 1 head red kale, leaves torn from stems
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, quartered
- 1/2 cup black beans
- 1/2 red onion, diced
- 1/2 cup freshly grated white cheddar cheese
- 1 jalapeño or serrano, sliced
- 1 avocado, sliced
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
-
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Slice tortillas into 1/4 to 1/2-inch strips, toss with olive oil, chili powder and salt. Spread on a baking sheet and bake 15–20 minutes until crispy and golden.
-
While the tortillas bake, make the dressing. Combine all dressing ingredients in a food processor or blender and puree until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning or heat as desired.
-
Add all the kale to a large bowl, drizzle with olive oil and massage with your hands until leaves soften, about 5 minutes. Add about 1/3 cup of dressing to the kale and massage again. Build the salad with black beans, tomatoes, diced onion, cheddar, peppers, avocado, cilantro and the tortilla strips. Add grilled chicken, steak or tofu if you like.
Did you make this recipe?
Be sure to follow @howsweeteats on Instagram and tag #howsweeteats. You can also post a photo to the Facebook page. I appreciate you so much!
This is the kale life.