Smoked Maple Kale Salad

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Smoked Maple Kale Salad

Today’s post is dedicated to Sapore (pronounced like amore! with a ‘s’ of course), that delectable vinegar and olive oil store I fell in love with in the Eastern Market area of DC. It was about a year ago, one of those unseasonably warm DC winter days, and I was putzing around the neighborhood. I noticed Sapore… actually, what I noticed was that there were free samples at Sapore, so I went in. After trying almost every vinegar and oil in the shop, I left with an anniversary gift for my sister–a smoked olive oil–and of course, a bottle for me! đŸ™‚ Since that day, that smoked oil has become a staple in my veg-centric cooking. As I say in my cooking classes, who the heck needs bacon, when you’ve got smoked olive oil?!?!?!

Today, I’m sharing a recipe where I used the smoked olive oil in a kale salad. The key to this salad is massaging your kale with some citrus to break it down a bit and to rid it of any bitterness. Next add whatever colorful yum yums suit your fancy, toss in this magical smokey vinaigrette and voila, instant taste buds heaven! I added a wee bit of maple syrup to cut some of the acid, but if you’re watching the sweet stuff, feel free to leave it out (it’ll still taste great!). So, until next Saturday folks, have a great week! đŸ˜€

Smoked Maple Kale Salad

(Printable Recipe)

Salad Ingredients:

1/2 bunch kale–just the leaves (discard the stems), chopped

1 avocado–chopped

2 ripe tomatoes–chopped

3 Persian cucumbers–chopped

pomegranate seeds from 1/2 pomegranate

1 block tofu–sliced, pressed

juice from 1/2 lemon

juice from 1/2 lime

squeeze orange juice

salt

pepper

Smoked Maple Dressing (see below)

Salad Method:

*Mix lemon and lime juice in a large bowl. Add chopped kale to bowl with 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Massage juice/salt into kale and let sit 10 minutes, massaging occasionally.

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*Prep other veggies/fruit. Drizzle a wee bit of orange juice over the avocado to keep it from turning brown. Set aside. Grill pressed tofu for 2-3 minutes on each side. Cut into bite sized pieces. Set aside.

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*Add veggies, pomegranate seeds, and tofu to the massaged kale. Mix well. Drizzle with dressing (see below). Toss. Adjust seasoning. Serve. Enjoy!

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Smoked Maple Dressing Ingredients:

3 tablespoons light vinegar (I used Tropical Spice from Sapore. You can also use a white balsamic, other fruity vinegar, or red wine vinegar).

1 1/2 tablespoon smoked olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoon maple syrup

salt

pepper

Dressing Method:

*Whisk and serve! Enjoy đŸ˜€

kale salad

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Written by

Tiffany M. Griffin is the woman behind Como Water, Washington DC’s premiere veg-centric cuisine consulting company. Through cooking classes, demonstrations, catering, and consultations, Como Water gives people the opportunity to learn how to prepare veg-centric cuisine that boasts maximum flavor, with minimal effort. Tiffany is quickly becoming a go-to expert on the future of veg-centric cuisine, and is a regular contributor to Como Water, the blog, as well as to vegetarian and vegan sites across the Internet. For over a decade, this self-taught, entrepreneurial expert has developed a set of tried and true techniques for making simple, delicious, and sometimes decadent veg-centric dishes. Featured on the Steve Harvey Show and other leading media outlets, Tiffany was born and raised in Springfield, MA. She then earned Bachelors degrees in Psychology and Communications from Boston College and a PhD in Social Psychology from the University of Michigan. She now resides in Washington DC, where she has worked in the US Senate and at a federal agency on issues around health, food, nutrition, and international food aid/development, and of course, as the owner of Como Water. Tiffany gets culinary inspiration from the food she grew up eating, and from her travels throughout Latin America, the Caribbean, Western Europe, and Sub-Saharan Africa. She is dedicated to sharing her wealth of knowledge on veg-centric cuisine with others and to help others live by her mantra—love life, live long, and eat veg-centric cuisine!

Comment

  1. Ohhhh, yum!!!! I brought Michigan maple syrup home from my last trip home. I wasn’t for sure what I wanted to do with it, but love love the idea of adding it in a dressing! Hope you had a lovely holiday season! Happy New Year!!! Hugs, Terra