Raw Kale Salad with Garden Vegetables and Wild Rice

Remember the scene in Sex and The City where the girls go to that new restaurant called Raw and Miranda was all, “This is like lawn in a bowl.”?

Yeah, see you’re not gonna say that here. (Unless you want to because omg it was hilarious.)

And remember in another scene when Samantha goes back to the restaurant and tries to out-stay another competitive lady customer for the chance to go home with the irresistible waiter Smith Jerrod and his awesome/borderline annoying surfer blonde hair?

Yeah, see you don’t have to do that here. Unless you want to. IN YOUR MIIIIIEEEEENDDD.

And remember that other scene where Big tells Carrie he’s going to be moving to Napa Valley because he’s tired of old New York and she goes, “Well if you’re tired you take a napa, you don’t move to Napa.”

Yeah, see that has nothing at all to do with this salad but that scene makes me aaache and laugh and laugh and ache.

And OHHHH! Remember the scene where the girls are at the bar down the street from Big and Natasha’s engagement party and Carrie is figuring out the differences between herself and Natasha by referencing characters in the classic Barbra Streisand/Robert Redford film, The Way We Were, and they start singing (loudly) and acting out the scenes (like, full-on gestures) and they get louder and more obnoxious by the second and everyone around them wants to punch them in the face?

THAAAAAAAAAT right there pretty much sums up my entire essence in life. I’d like to take this moment to formally apologize to anyone who has ever been around me. Ever.

“Your girl is lovely, Hubble.” SOOO GOOOOOOOD.

Raw salad! Okay so actually, this is 98% raw. The only thing cooked is the wild rice. Which you can totally leave raw if you have great dental insurance.

I made this one day when I was feeling super stabby about the heat. I picked a bunch of garden birthage, chopped it all up and tossed it with raw kale, mixed greens, chickpeas and rice.

But DUDE. It’s the dressing that’ll really gicha gern. It’s a smooth mixture of organic tahini, SRIRACHA SAUCE (boom), lemon juice, olive oil and a little bit of water.

Stabby be gone.

And then to finish, just some lightly toasted pepitas, foooor the win.

The crunch. The freshness. The hint of spice. The nuttiness from the wild rice. I’m not kidding when I say that every time I ate this salad, I grew a cape and flew around the room.

*Smith Jerrod not included.

 Raw Kale Salad with Garden Vegetables and Wild Rice:

What it took for 4:

* 1/2 cup black wild rice
* 2 cups kale
* 2 cups mixed greens
* 1 zucchini, diced
* 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
* 1 (14.5 oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
* 1 avocado, diced or sliced
* 1 cup green beans, diced
* 1/4 cup pepitas, toasted
* 1/4 cup organic tahini
* 2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
* juice from a lemon, divided
* 1 tsp sriracha sauce
* about 1/4 cup water (or more, depending on desired thinness)
* coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Cook the rice in a rice cooker or your favorite stovetop method.

In a small bowl, whisk together the tahini, olive oil, half the lemon juice, sriracha sauce and water. Season with salt and pepper. Taste it. Add more sriracha if you like the heat! And if it’s too thick, add a little more water.

In a large bowl, combine the kale, lettuces, rice, zucchini, tomatoes, chickpeas, green beans and avocado. Toss.

Add the tahini/sriracha dressing to the salad and toss to thoroughly coat. Maybe sprinkle a little salt over the whole mess.

Divide up among plates and garnish with toasted pepitas and the more lemon slices.

OMG.

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39 Responses to Raw Kale Salad with Garden Vegetables and Wild Rice

  1. Ashley@BakerbyNature July 3, 2012 at 8:37 am #
    AND now all I want to do with my day is watch "Sex and The City" marathon style... hubby is at work till 2... This salad looks awesome, Bev. And a perfect light bite before all the 4th of July face stuffing that's sure to go down tomorrow.
  2. Emilie M July 3, 2012 at 8:41 am #
    Bev, this sounds, dare I say it, ah-maze-ing! I think I'm making it for dinner tonight in fact! How do you think the flavour/crunch factor would be affected if I sub'ed quinoa for the wild rice? Or even just adding some quinoa for the extra protein?
    • Bev Weidner July 3, 2012 at 8:48 am #
      Oh you could tooootally add quinoa! I only cooked a half cup of rice, so I think just a half cup would be perfect! I'm totes doing that next time.
  3. Brittany D. July 3, 2012 at 8:42 am #
    OMG is right. This looks so good! Dinner tonight??? I think so!
  4. Casey July 3, 2012 at 9:50 am #
    Hahaha - hilarious post! I do love a good S&TC throwback :)
  5. Cassie July 3, 2012 at 10:07 am #
    Love everything about this. Had a similar dinner last night but with sauteed kale. I'll eat kale any day!
  6. GingerMae July 3, 2012 at 10:35 am #
    We are so on the same page - I was just watching SATC last night! Tonight I think I will make this salad while I continue the marathon. Love it!
  7. Kelly July 3, 2012 at 11:20 am #
    Yummy! I just love everything about this salad, trying this ASAP! :)
  8. Elizabeth@ Food Ramblings July 3, 2012 at 11:33 am #
    Sounds great! I need to learn what some of the ingredients are...lol
  9. Jamie @ Thrifty Veggie Mama July 3, 2012 at 11:37 am #
    Looks delicious! And I loved the S&C references. Brings back great memories of lazy days spend watching S&C marathons on TV. I was just wondering what to have for lunch! Thanks :)
  10. Julia {The Roasted Root} July 3, 2012 at 11:37 am #
    After how much Sex and the City I've watched, I'm surprised I don't remember any of the scenes you were talking about by I still got a dern good crack up at your reenactment :) Your salad looks so fresh and delicious - I love that you've added great textures in there with the rice and pepitas and the nutty flavor of the tahini dressing sounds awesome! Perfect for summer!
  11. Averie @ Averie Cooks July 3, 2012 at 12:08 pm #
    the sriracha sauce just takes this to the next level! So delish looking, Bev!
  12. Katie @ Blonde Ambition July 3, 2012 at 12:10 pm #
    Thanks for the trip down nostalgia road. Oh, Raw...and Smith Jerrod before he was Smith Jerrod...and Carrie and Big and SIGH why was Sex and the City 2 so bad and I want this salad dressing in my mouth.
    • Bev Weidner July 3, 2012 at 12:14 pm #
      omg. I just spit out my water reading this. SATC 2 was hooooooooooorrid. But I can't stop watching it.
  13. Deanna B. July 3, 2012 at 12:12 pm #
    My garden is full of almost everything I need to make this but the damn tomatoes will not ripen. They taunt me everyday. Full vines, no red. No pink. Just green. I suppose I could buy tomatoes, but that goes against everything I stand for in summer.
  14. Shanna July 3, 2012 at 12:19 pm #
    I would love to hang out with you! Nobody gets me, either :) I was snickering at my desk to all the Sex and the City references... So, my garden greens are all so stinkin bitter from the heat! I cannot even pretend that I didn't spit them out right away! How do your greens not get bitter?
    • Bev Weidner July 3, 2012 at 12:23 pm #
      Oh, oh! I should have specified - the kale and greens were NOT from my garden! The tomatoes, green beans and zucchini were though. The rest? Da sto'. ;) And yeah, I've been known a time or 40 to get really loud in public when singing or acting out whatever musical or song is on my brain at the moment. It's not obnoxious at all!
  15. Stephaie @ Eat. Drink. Love. July 3, 2012 at 1:43 pm #
    The "I Heart NY" episode is one of my faves! And the raw episode is pretty funny too! I would happily eat this raw salad like any day of the week!
  16. Katie July 3, 2012 at 3:21 pm #
    ohmygosh how have I not watched sex in the city in over a year?! I need to remedy this. I've seen every episode about 30 billion times. And I would LIKE to eat this lawn salad about 30 billion times in a row, too.
  17. Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar July 3, 2012 at 3:56 pm #
    This looks fabulous! Loveee it!
  18. Tracey Evans July 3, 2012 at 5:02 pm #
    You're so funny Bev! Have you been watching Sex and The City reruns?? :) I love your lawn! YUM!!
  19. Laura July 3, 2012 at 5:17 pm #
    “Maybe some women aren't meant to be tamed. Maybe they just need to run free til they find someone just as wild to run with them.”
  20. Mike @ Hand Me a Fork July 3, 2012 at 5:33 pm #
    What a fantastic looking recipe. Sounds super refreshing, I'll have to make this for the 4th! I make a really tasty pesto using kale. Here is the recipe: http://www.handmeafork.com/2011/01/winter-pesto-crostinis.html
  21. Erin Motz July 3, 2012 at 5:49 pm #
    I'm always skeptical of raw salads especially when they're made with kale... If it doesn't wilt I find it's just too bitter! This looks beautiful, so I may just have to give it a shot :)
  22. Julie @ Table for Two July 3, 2012 at 8:20 pm #
    I love the dressing..SUCH awesome combination of those 2 great flavors..you're so genius for thinking of all these great dishes, Bev!
  23. Nutmeg Nanny July 3, 2012 at 8:31 pm #
    Yeah I would eat that. Gladly. I just shared this recipe with my little vegan brother. I believe my exact words where "you would eat the hell out of this." He totally would too. Well, we both would.
  24. Christina July 3, 2012 at 8:46 pm #
    Love this salad. Printed the recipe and will make this weekend.
  25. The Newlywed Chefs July 3, 2012 at 8:56 pm #
    We got one of those HUGE kale bags at Whole Foods the other day and will be making this soon! Love this recipe and love your site! :)
  26. Alison @ ingredients, Inc. July 3, 2012 at 9:17 pm #
    I am SO making this! Happy 4th
  27. kelley July 4, 2012 at 8:17 am #
    You and your aversion to surfer boy hair. I not so secretly love it. And Smith Jarrod. And Tim Riggins. Someday you'll come around, won't you? Also, this salads looks insane in the membrane.
  28. Deborah July 6, 2012 at 9:46 am #
    I seriously want to dive into that salad right now!
  29. Megan @ Country Cleaver July 9, 2012 at 10:29 pm #
    Stabby be gone, indeed!! Serve it with a side of Smith Jerrod and I'll die happily. Annoying surfer hair and all.
  30. Leah July 10, 2012 at 8:46 am #
    Awesome salad, I used only kale because I didn't have any mixed greens on hand. I made it on Sunday for 2 and will eat leftovers tonight. The salad gets better as it sits, dressing is perfect, thanks for the recipe!
  31. Shannan Matthews July 10, 2012 at 12:20 pm #
    Where the heck can I buy Tahini? Can never find it!! Now I'm NEVER going to be able to make this salad....aarrrgghhh!
    • Bev Weidner July 10, 2012 at 12:31 pm #
      I get tahini in the health section of my grocery store, right by the peanut butter!
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Trackbacks/Pingbacks

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