This Chopped Kale Power Salad is packed with so many delicious ingredients. It’s healthy, filling, and so flavorful. It’s great for lunch and dinner and can easily be meal-prepped.
*This recipe was originally published on Jan. 3, 2016. Today, I have republished it with updated photos and text.
One of my favorite things to eat is salad loaded with goodies. This Chopped Kale Power Salad is the perfect example of what I love. It’s packed with kale, sweet potato, avocado, chickpeas, almonds, dried cranberries, and red onion. It’s also topped with a super easy lemon tahini dressing.
I originally developed this recipe quite a few years ago and continue to make it all the time. It’s great for lunch or dinner and can easily be made into a meal-prep lunch you can enjoy all week.
What Is a Power Salad?
When I hear the words “Power Salad,” I automatically think of a big salad packed with healthy veggies, protein, carbs, nuts, and even fruit. A power salad can be eaten for a substantial lunch or dinner, leaving you happy and full. It’s definitely not side-salad material 🙂
Why Your Body Will Love This Salad
- Immune Health – Dark leafy greens are high in antioxidants, which are known for helping to reduce inflammation in the body. Excess inflammation can lead to many illnesses, including cancer. They contain potassium, nitrates, and iron, which contribute to heart and blood health; vitamin K, magnesium, and calcium, which support strong bones; and Vitamin A and lutein, which support our eyes and vision.
- Chickpeas are super(food!) – Chickpeas contain saponins, which help fight cancer, and calcium, iron, and other nutrients that contribute to bone health. Chickpeas help the brain and nervous system function properly and contain vitamins A, C, E, folate, and magnesium.
- Hearth Health – The potassium and magnesium in sweet potatoes help reduce blood pressure and stroke risks and can help lower cholesterol. They’re high in antioxidants and Vitamin A, supporting the immune system and eye health.
Chopped Kale Power Salad Recipe Ingredients
- Kale – I love raw kale! I know many people don’t feel the same way, so if you’ve tried massaged kale in a salad and still don’t like it, you could substitute any other green you like. If you think you don’t like kale but have never tried it massaged in a salad, I urge you to try it, and it might surprise you!
- Chickpeas – I love adding chickpeas to my salads because they add protein, are a no-prep ingredient, and have a mild taste, so they won’t interfere with any other strong flavors.
- Sweet Potato – Roasted sweet potato is great in salads because it adds nutrients, makes the salad feel more filling, and its sweet flavor complements all the other power salad ingredients.
- Avocado – Avocado is great to add to anything because it is full of heart-healthy fats and has a nice creamy texture.
- Dried Cranberries – I love having some sweetness in my salad. Dried cranberries are great because they’re slightly chewy, a little sweet, and a little tart.
- Almonds – When I can, I prefer roasted nuts in my salads instead of croutons. Nuts are full of heart-healthy fats and add a crunchy element.
- Red Onion – I love raw onion in my salads! This salad has a rich, creamy dressing, and the onion does a nice job of cutting through that richness.
What Kind of Dressing Should I Use?
You can use whatever kind of dressing you like on this Chopped Kale Power Salad, but I highly recommend my super quick and easy homemade lemon tahini dressing. It’s creamy and tangy and goes perfectly with the other ingredients. All you need is tahini, lemon juice, and salt.
A Quick Note About The Tahini
I’ve found some tahini brands to be bitter, and different brands also vary in thickness. If you find yourself with more bitter-tasting tahini, you can add a little maple syrup to help counter it. Also, if you have a super thick or thin tahini sauce, you may need to add more or less liquid than my recipe suggests.
How To Make This Power Salad
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. On a large sheet pan, toss the diced sweet potato with 2 teaspoons olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Bake the sweet potato until fork tender, 35-40 minutes, flipping once.
- Prepare the kale while the sweet potatoes bake. Add the chopped kale to a large bowl with 1 Tablespoon olive oil, the juice of half a large lemon, and a heaping 1/4 teaspoon salt. Use your hands to massage the kale and ensure everything is mixed together for about 1 minute. Set the kale aside until the sweet potatoes are finished baking.
- Make the dressing by adding all ingredients to a bowl and whisking until a creamy dressing is formed. Add the water slowly until the desired consistency is reached.
- There are two ways to assemble the salad: You can add all ingredients to the bowl with the kale and mix until combined. Add the desired amount of dressing to each individual serving. Or, you can add the kale mixture to separate bowls and evenly top with the remaining ingredients.
Have a question about this salad? Ask me in the comments, and I’ll get back to you ASAP!
Looking for more delicious and filling kale salads?
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Chopped Kale Power Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This Chopped Kale Power Salad is satisfying, filling and delicious! It’s packed with tons of healthy ingredients and topped with an easy lemon tahini dressing.
Ingredients
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced (you should get about 5–6 cups)
- 2 teaspoons + 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
- 3/4 teaspoons salt, divided
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 bunch of curly kale, washed, stem removed and chopped (you should get 7–8 cups)
- Juice of 1/2 a large lemon
- 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 large avocado, pitted and diced
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries
- 1/3 cup chopped almonds
- 1/4 cup chopped red onion
Lemon Tahini Dressing:
- 1/2 cup tahini
- Juice of 1 large lemon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3–6 tablespoons warm water, depending on how thick you want the dressing
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. On a large sheet pan, toss together the diced sweet potato with 2 teaspoons olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Bake sweet potato until fork tender, 35-40 minutes, flipping once.
- Prepare the kale while the sweet potatoes are baking. Add the chopped kale to a large bowl with 1 tablespoon olive oil, juice of 1/2 a large lemon and a heaping 1/4 teaspoon salt. Use your hands to massage the kale and make sure everything is mixed together, about 1 minute. Set kale aside until sweet potatoes are finished baking.
- Make the dressing by adding all ingredients to a bowl and whisking until a creamy dressing is formed. Add the water slowly until desired consistency is reached.
- There are two ways you can assemble the salad: You can add all ingredients to the bowl with the kale and mix until combined. Add desired amount of dressing to each individual serving. Or, you can add the kale mixture to separate bowls and evenly top with remaining ingredients.
Notes
*If making a big batch for a party or for packed lunches it works best to mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. If having people over for lunch and serving them individually it might work better to evenly distribute the kale and then top with remaining ingredients.
*I would recommend always leaving the dressing separate and adding it on just before eating. This salad will keep well in the refrigerator for about 5 days.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Category: Salad, Gluten Free, Vegan
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Thank goodness I found this again! After looking at dozens of kale superfood salads online, I made this recipe a couple of weeks ago but didn’t bother to save it, thinking that if I found it once, I’d be able to find it again. Sadly, I had to look through many of those same recipes again to find the one that my husband and I both liked.
Bookmark this, copy it, save it now! It’s a great salad!
So glad you found it again!! And I’m glad you both enjoyed it 🙂
Thanks for sharing! Do you use this dressing for any other recipes?
This looks so good! What a great lunch meal prep for the week!
Made this for dinner today and it was really good! Lots of flavour and easy to put together 🙂 thanks!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!!
This is the most delicious salad we’ve made and my meat-eating husband even craves it. We don’t usually make the dressing because the salad alone is so flavorful and rich. So grateful for this recipe. Thank you!!
I’m so glad to hear that!!
I have made this salad for four or five potlucks now and it VANISHES. I’m a vegan but non-vegan friends scarf this down too. I haven’t used almonds yet though. The first few times I used pistachios which was amazing and the last few I used pumpkin seeds which was not bad and kind of added to the fall theme of the salad.
That is SO nice to hear!!
I’m wondering if organic baby kale will work well with this recipe.
I already bought it and so I hope the answer is yes. If not, I still have time to go to the store. Thanks a lot.
I am planning on making this beautiful salad this weekend.
HELP. I bought organic baby kale – Can I use it in the salad? If so, do I need to trim it?
Thank you, Judy
Hi Judy! Yes, that should work fine and if it’s just the baby kale leaves you don’t need to trim anything 🙂
TriedThis recipe and loved it!
Thanks!!
I made this salad for dinner tonight, and it’s excellent! If you were in a hurry, you *could* micro those yams or use store-bought organic tahini dressing, but really, this recipe doesn’t take too long anyway. I am going to attempt making all of the 25 salads. The spouse licked his bowl, lol! Thank-you!
Yah! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it!!
This is a great recipe. Really great. Even Him Indoors liked it a lot. Kale is the devil’s food and only meant for feeding cattle with big teeth, so I substituted with with organic lettuce and tomato. The tahini dressing was excellent. With vegan salads, you kind of get used to drizzles of unidentifiable watery gloop on your lettuce. I also added a little turmeric to the chickpeas. Furthermore, it didn’t trash my teeny weeny kitchen like so many new recipes do. Thank you.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!!
I had tried a kale salad with a similar dressing before and really wasn’t feeling it so I had sworn off tahini-based dressings for good. Thought I’d give this one a try despite being skeptical since I had most of the ingredients on hand and omggg it must have just been the brand of tahini I was using last time because this is seriously amazing! The combination of textures and flavors was so delicious that I had to leave a comment immediately after finishing the salad. Super looking forward to eating this throughout the week for lunch. I know this is an older post but can I ask what brand of tahini you like to use?
Yah! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!! I’ve used a few different tahini brands in the past, but I agree, some seem much more bitter than others. These days I always buy the organic Sprouts brand (That’s the grocery store I shop at). I believe its unsalted and toasted 🙂
My two good friends are vegan and my boyfriend hates all meat substitutes so trying to make a meal that appeases both sides can be a challenge. Usually I default to some sort of bean-based soup or stew. I was so happy to find this recipe! It’s incredibly filling and full of healthy proteins and fats. It was a hit all around! I was very skeptical of the tahini dressing. I thought the sesame flavor would be overwhelming but it was a very lovely dressing. I added a teensy bit of garlic to the dressing and toasted the chickpeas next to the sweet potatoes for more crunch in the salad. I served with a multi-grain sourdough bread and some red wine.
That’s so nice to hear!! I’m glad everyone enjoyed it! Love the addition of the red wine 🙂
Just made this – totally delicious! Pretty easy to whip together also!
Awesome! I’m so glad you liked it!
An apotheosis of perfection. Bravo for coming up with this. This I will be making a cornucopia of times.
Ha, thank you so much!! I’m so glad you liked it 🙂
I’m just days away from my one year “vegan-versary” and as such I’m in a spot where I’m looking for new recipes to excite my palate. I found your salad today and once I read the ingredients and had most in my kitchen it was decided what was for dinner. I quickly ran for an avocado and a red onion and it was on! OMG… omg! Both my omnivorous hubby and I LOVED this salad with gusto! I used more red onion (as we’re addicts;) and also added hemp seeds for nutritional value. This salad WILL be a staple in our rotation. Plus; what a tremendous “pitch-in” salad to take to gatherings to introduce folks to veganism! Ty, ty TY! It’s truly scrumptious!
Your comment totally made my day! That’s awesome that you are at your one year anniversary! Congrats! And I’m so glad to hear t hat both you and your husband enjoyed this salad!! It’s one of my favorites too! 🙂
I don’t usually leave reviews for recipes I try, but this salad actually blew me away!!! Five stars, gonna eat it every day until my ingredients run out. Thank you!
Thank you so much!! Your comment just made my day! So glad you enjoyed the salad! 🙂
I made this salad for the first time about a year ago, and have made it MANY times sense! It is a great one to pack for lunch ahead of time, we’ll meal prep these on Sunday for the whole week and dress them day of! Awesome recipe.
Hi Darci! Thank you for letting me know how much you enjoy this salad! It’s one of my favorites too! Happy Hew Year (almost)! 🙂
So delicious! My boyfriend and I aren’t vegan but I like to minimize our animal product consumption where I can – for the environment, our health, the animals, etc. This salad doesn’t make me feel like I’m missing out on anything! It’s so filling and the flavors are complex but blend so well. Great for meal prep!
I’m so glad you both enjoyed it!! I love making this salad for meal prep! 🙂
Made it for lunch today , wow very yummy! Will make it again soon.
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂