Asian/Mexican Fusion Kale, Cabbage, and Carrot Chopped Salad

Lots of yummy low-carb wonders are on this plate starting on the left with baked butternut squash, cauliflower mashed "potatoes", raw sauerkraut with braised pork, AND, the object of our affection, occupying half the plate, kale, cabbage and carrot chopped salad with Mexican and Asian dressings.

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Blending Asian and Mexican flavors may not seem like a good idea, and I wouldn't haven't done it if I'd not been so lazy. But PK and I were headed for a 4-night ski trip with 14 friends, sharing a house and cooking duties,  and we snagged cooking duty the first night and I thought a chopped winter salad would go well with Emeril Legasse's killer chili and the vegetarian option, squash bisque.

Lots of chop, chop, chopping, cut, cut, cutting in those soup recipes, plus the chopped salad, and I didn't feel like making dressing. I knew we'd have the ever-present chipotle sauce I use to pump up just about everything. But putting together an additional homemade dressing did not appeal.

At the local Farmer's Market I purchased a bottle of Asian ginger/sesame dressing. It was cheap, just past its expiration date, on the discontinued table. It was perfect. The salad was a hit.

Remove the tough ribs from the kale, process with the slicing blade
in a food processor, then finish the chopping by hand.

Cabbage roughly sliced by food processor, awaiting fine chopping.

Chopping and grating done! Except for the last-minute onion.

Multiple requests for the salad recipe surprised me! But, true to my people-pleasing gene, I looked for a sesame/ginger dressing recipe as a fill-in. I tried one. It sucked. So tonight I made the chopped salad again and reverted to my tried-and-true, already made sesame dressing plus the ubiquitous chipotle sauce, and voila! Perfect.

Please don't think of any of the recipes here as one-shot-wonders. Chopped salad keeps for a couple weeks in the refrigerator, and chipotle and sesame dressings have even more impressive refrigerator lives. Chop chop chop one night and take it easy for at least a week. You can buy grated cabbage/carrot salad in plastic but....not recommended. Try this instead.

Freshly chopped/grated kale, cabbage, carrots.

Same stuff mixed. Lasts a long time. 

Recipes follow.

Kale, Cabbage and Carrot Chopped Salad, Asian/Mexican Flavors

1 bunch kale, any variety. I used lacinato, chopped
1 small head cabbage or 2/3 head large, chopped
1 large carrot, grated
1/2 half medium sweet onion, chopped (for garnish)
Optional last-minute additions: chopped apple, cilantro, parsley, peppers

Directions:
Rinse the kale if necessary. I get mine at a local  organic farm stand and it usually doesn't require rinsing. If you need to rinse, dry the leaves or use a salad spinner. Remove the tough center stems. Fold the kale leaves and run them through a food processor using the slicing blade. Dump onto a cutting board and finish the chopping job.

Trim the cabbage and cut into wedges. Process with the slicing blade and finish chopping with a good knife on a cutting board.

Skin the carrot and process with the grating blade of a food processor. Or use a box grater.

At serving time, put mixed chopped veggies into a serving dish, add, or put on the table, optional ingredients. If you're serving a crowd, dress the salad using approximatlely equal amounts of sesame and chipotle dressings. If you're doing a small dinner, put the dressings on the side and let your lucky loved ones pile on dressings and options as they please.

Laurie's Sesame Dressing and Marinade

My friend Laurie served this to me at least 20 years ago, and I had to have the recipe. I've made variations of this for at least two decades. It is definitely my salad dressing of choice and it is always on hand. Use a food processor.


Ingredients

6-8 cloves fresh garlic
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup toasted sesame oil (or half olive oil, half avocado oil)
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar, rice vinegar, lemon juice, or other acidic liquid
1-2 Tbsp. dijon or other mustard
sweetener to taste— honey, sugar, Stevia
 dash of white pepper for a little kick


Directions: Use a food processor. Peel the garlic and process til finely minced. Add all other ingredients, then process until the oils are emulsified. The oil will separate after the dressing sits for awhile, but it is easily  mixed with a twirl of the spoon. Works great for dressing a salad or marinating veggies for the grill or even steak or chicken.

Chipotle Sauce

2/3 c mayo 
2/3 c sour cream 
2/3 c plain yogurt 
2-4  tsp. lemon or lime juice.
2-3 tsp serrano sauce or garlic/chili sauce. Lacking those, use a Sirrachea sauce.
1-2 tsp. cumin Mix and serve over, or on the side, with grilled meats, fish, veggies, eggs, or atop soups or stews.

2-3 cubes frozen chipotle cubes - or 2-3 canned chipotles in adobo sauce, minced. 


Taste, taste, taste. Gauge your own heat tolerance. As you can see, this recipe is based on thirds, using the same amount of mayo, sour cream, and yogurt. 

More Kale Recipes from Ordinary Life

Kale chips!
Creamed kale with dried tomatoes
Kale and Yoga Eggs Fritatta
Killer Kale Salad with Sesame Dressing
Savory Eggs, Kale, Prosciuitto Breakfast
Kick Butt Kale Soup
Key to a Happy Marriage (includes kale!)
Spring Smoothie
Quinoa Kale Salad