Don’t take offense to this but, I’m betting you could use a salad right about now.
Am I right? 
Today marks day 3 of cookie detox and I think I’m finally getting back to the point of maybe wanting something sweet later on. It only took a whole head of kale, 1.5 pounds of mushrooms and lots of quinoa and other random veggies to get back here to “normal”.
This salad was eaten on day 1 of detox (I’m using that term lightly here, I wasn’t on any serious detox or anything). I honestly didn’t think it was possible, but I woke up craving a kale salad. Really, that actually happened. Luckily, I had a whole head of it in the fridge. I also really wanted to test out my new Christmas gift so this salad + hummus dressing was born.
Usually when I make salads, I just throw things in a bowl and either dress them with my go-to balsamic vinaigrette or, if I’m really ambitious, whisk up something a little more interesting. Nothing earth shattering or warranting a recipe. This salad + dressing was so delicious though that it definitely earned it’s own space on here and I swear it wasn’t just the sugar in my bloodstream talking.
First up, I made the dressing which is basically fancied up hummus with a protein kick from some nutritional yeast. Want to know the difference between a piece of crap blender/food processor combo and my new 14 cup Cuisinart badass processor? About 2 minutes worth of processing. What would’ve taken at least 2 minutes of processing and multiple “scrape downs,” took about 5 seconds in my new food processor. I’m in love.
Once the dressing was done, I prepped the kale and other add ins and tossed it all together, letting it sit for at least 10 minutes before digging in. I made a lot of this knowing I wanted to save some for dinner later on and it took every ounce of will power to not gobble it all up for lunch. 2 years ago I had never even eaten kale. Now, I want to eat an entire head of it in one sitting. Crazy.
And since we’re talking all healthy today, guess what’s set up and ready for this winter?
My new indoor bike trainer from my brother for Christmas.
2 years ago I was still 10 pounds overweight, couldn’t run for more than a minute and could maybe do 1-2 pushups. Yesterday, I ran 3 miles, did 2 90 second planks, a kick ass upper body strength workout that left my arms feeling like jello and got really excited about setting up a bike trainer.
Eat kale salads and exercise. You’re worth it.
- ½ of a large head of kale, washed and trimmed
- ½ yellow pepper, thinly sliced
- ½ pint of grape tomatoes, sliced in half
- ⅛ of a large yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons pepitas
- ⅓ cup walnuts
- ⅓ cup hummus
- 2 cloves of garlic
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon water
- salt & pepper to taste
- Combine salad ingredients in a large bowl, set aside.
- Combine all dressing ingredients in a food processor and process until creamy and smooth.
- Pour dressing over salad and toss well until fully coated. Let salad sit for at least 10 minutes before serving.
- Top with additional pepitas and walnuts if desired.
{ 24 comments… read them below or add one }
great bike, great salad, and AMAZING lighting on those leaves. I could have stood there snapping pics for days…they are so delicate and perfect and something about fresh leaves and greens…I LOVE shooting them.
Hi this is my first steps on your blog and kind a wanna stay forever lol…I am looking for a recipe that can lead me to loose weight I gain a lot this because of the season eating lots of pastries , turkey and scrumptious dessert makes me fat in just one week. I love your recipe it is perfect.
Yum! This looks amazing
I’m definitely going to try this salad dressing out – looks easy enough! I can’t imagine eating kale as a whole salad though guess I could try it!
I know what you mean about a whole salad with kale, but with a good dressing I promise it’s not as weird as it sounds
Yes, you’re right. Sigh…
No thanks on the kale. After a horrible experience with kale chips in college, I won’t go near the stuff.
It’s funny how things change when you start exercising seriously. I mean I’ve always done SOMETHING workout-wise, but when I started legit running, I think my brain switched over to slightly insane. Pretty much the best thing I’ve ever purchased is a treadmill. Who says that??
I’d love to know whether you end up liking that indoor bike trainer. I bought a road bike over the summer and ended up using it about 3 times (making my cost per workout insane), but I could see myself using it indoors this winter if I bribe myself with TV.
Your kale salad looks amazing! I’m bookmarking your dressing recipe.
No offense needed. A salad is EXACTLY what I need right now. I like how you say cookie detox, you are right on track. Love this salad, and your blog. Great job!
What a great workout story/motivator!
This salad looks so flippin good. It’ll make any salad hater want to eat it. And that dressing. Oh my, I want that dressing in my house. I love vinaigrettes since they’re always lighter than those creamy dressings. Great post — I know tons of people will be thanking you for this since it’s exactly what everyone needs after this crazy holiday eating!
Hummus dressing? I am so there
The nooch sounds delicious in it too(a year ago I would have never said that, haha!) I love how bright your pictures look – it makes me want to dive into such a vibrant salad 
I have been known to easily ingest a huge head of kale in just a couple of days. I usually sautee it because I don’t love the bitter taste and texture of it raw, but this looks really really good soaked in that hummus dressing. I made a similar warm kale salad a few weeks back with a hummus and apple cider vinegar dressing, very easy. And I love your little blurb about how far you’ve come with fitness and healthy eating, inspiring!
I’ve only ever had kale roasted up as chips…I really need to try to incorporate it raw more often. This looks amazing.
And “eat kale salads and exercise. you’re worth it” <—- AMEN!
Congrats on your fitness achievements, keep it up!
I haven’t had kale, but I bet my body would appreciate that salad!
I need a cookie detox, a salad and a workout too. I’m itching to get back to my normal routine!
I must say, this sounds like one delicious way to detox. Hummus dressing? Count me in!
And I actually have every ingredient for both the salad and dressing already in my kitchen- perfect! Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Last quarter of 2011, I started running again and I swear I felt better. I plan to continue running for as long as I can.
I can tell you, I really need a good salad after the holiday’s grease and diabetic high
Your kale treat is just in time…Whipping it up tight now. Thanks for posting!
Your bike is fantastic!
You definitely have me motivated to get up and kick my ass in the morning!!! Thank you
I had a kale salad OBSESSION this summer. I haven’t had one in a long time. I think the craving may finally be back now
The dressing looks wonderful, I have to give this a try! Thanks!
Love the idea of a hummus dressing! I need to put my food processor to use!
Phenomenal salad + dressing. It makes me excited to start my cookie detox tomorrow!
LOVE THE DRESSING!!! I had made kale salad for dinner and googled a dressing recipe…found yours…my husband and I loved it! Thanks!
awesome, so glad you liked it!