Avocado Kale Caesar Salad with Sweet Potato Fries
Does anyone remember when there was no such thing as a kale salad? It was in the not-so-green and bright recent past, pre-2001. Now, thankfully, there are an infinite number of ways to turn raw kale into a crunchy, tasty, satisfying salad. Every time I teach a cooking class, I try to come up with a new kale salad for my students. Last time I taught at the Rancho La Puerta cooking school, I came up with this Avocado Kale Caesar Salad with Sweet Potato Fries and everyone gave it rave reviews.
It’s no secret that eating vegetables promotes brain health. But leafy greens, in particular, have been studied for their brain-boosting properties. In fact, leafy greens are the most nutrient-dense of all veggies. And the darkest leafy greens (hello, kale!) contain the most nutrients.
Kale is powerful brain food
Before we move on to making our stellar new favorite salad, let’s talk kale.
- The MIND diet study recommends eating at least 6 servings of leafy greens each week as part of a brain healthy diet (that has been proven to reduce Alzheimer’s risk by 53% and slow cognitive decline.)
- A more recent prospective study looked at the effect of eating leafy greens on how the brain ages. Eating leafy greens daily slowed cognitive decline significantly — so much, in fact, that those that ate the most leafies (1.3 servings/day) had brains that tested 11 years younger than their chronological age. (Neurology, Jan 2018.)
- One cup of raw kale contains just 33 calories, provides a day’s worth of vitamin C needs, and even more vitamin K and A.
- Kale is an excellent source of calcium and iron.
Avocado Kale Caesar Salad + Sweet Potato Fries
A few things about our recipe:
- The sweet potato fries are optional but highly recommended if you have time!
- Many swear by massaging kale before dressing to tenderize it and allow it to soak up all the flavors in the salad. I don’t usually take the time to massage my kale, but I do advice tossing the salad by hand to get each green ribbon evenly coated with dressing.
- What’s the best variety of kale? My favorite is dinosaur kale, also known as Lacinato or Tuscan kale. Feel free to try all the different kales out there; I especially love how the purple curly kale looks in this salad.
- The Avocado Caesar Dressing contains anchovies for a boost in brain healthy omega-3 fatty acids. You can leave the anchovies out; there’s plenty of other ingredients in there to make your brain happy:)
- We love using nut creams in place of dairy-based ingredients, such as mayonnaise. If you don’t have time to make cashew cream, look for a plant-based avocado oil mayonnaise at the grocery store for a healthier fat profile than typical mayonnaise. Or, use full fat Greek yogurt.
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- 4 sweet potatoes scrubbed and dried
- 3 tablespoons avocado oil
- 3 tablespoons paprika
- kosher or sea salt to taste
- 1/2 avocado
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup cashew cream (see notes) or use avocado mayo or Greek yogurt
- 2 small cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 anchovy filets or 1 teaspoon anchovy paste
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 bunch kale about 5-6 cups, leaves destemmed and cut into strips
- 1/2 avocado cubed
- 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds toasted and salted
Ingredients
For the Sweet Potato Fries:
For the Avocado Caesar Dressing:
For the Salad:
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- Preheat oven to 400ºF. Place rimmed cookie sheet in oven to preheat.
- Spiralize the sweet potatoes. Place in a large bowl and toss with oil, paprika and salt.
- Place spiralized sweet potatoes on hot cookie sheet and spread out in a single layer. Bake 20 to 30 minutes until crisp and browning on the edges. (Watch closely towards the end of the cooking time.)
- Cut the avocado in half. Set aside half for the salad. Scoop the other half into a blender with ¼ cup water, the cashew cream, garlic, lemon juice, Dijon, anchovies, and salt. Add water by the tablespoon if needed to make a pourable consistency.
- Taste; adjust with more lemon or salt if needed.
- Toss the kale with the dressing. Top with the cubed avocado and the pumpkin seeds. Serve with sweet potato fries alongside and more dressing, for dipping, if desired.
To make your own cashew cream: Soak 1 cup of raw cashews in water for 1-2 hours. Drain the cashews and discard the soaking water. Place in a blender or food processor with 1/2 cup fresh water and blend into a coarse paste. Add more water, a tablespoon at a time, and blend until it resembles whipped cream. Add a teaspoon of lemon juice and a pinch of salt and blend until very smooth.
To make your own croutons: Cut one loaf of day-old whole grain bread into 1-inch cubes. (Cut off the crust first if you like.) Toss on a baking sheet with enough extra virgin olive oil to coat each cube. Sprinkle with sea or kosher salt and toss well. Bake at 300ºF for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the croutons are crispy and starting to brown.
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