Kale Taco Salad (Vegan)

Taco Salad is one of those American dishes that are utterly foreign here, and sometimes I get a real jones for it. Not the traditional version with ground beef and cheese - yuck - but rather this fresh version. 

Today's:

Base of massaged kale, to make it extra vegan. Gives it a nice heft. *See note below. Lettuce works too, obvs.  

Tomatoes

Fibely chopped red onion

Red Pepper

Canned black olives (not optional! These are what make it taste like my mom's!)

Kidney beans

Avocado

If I were in the US, I would also add these 'tamed jalapeños' that are available there - so good if you can find them. 

Dressing:

Start with equal parts vegan mayo and hot salsa, adjust to taste. It's hard to find good ready-made salsa in the UK, but luckily the underwhelming jarred variety works really well here. 

Serve huge portions, with tortilla chips!

*How and why massage kale? You basically work the kale for a while with your fingers to make it tender enough to eat raw. Don't be gentle!

Undressed:

Dressed:

Yum! Taco Salad!

Serious Protein Salad (with Juice Pulp)

 

I seem to share a lot of treat-y recipes on here, but we don't eat pancakes day in and day out (I swear!) - we eat regular food. I guess our regular food sometimes seems a little too boring, to me, to blog about. But maybe it isn't! Let's see! This is just a simple but hearty main-course salad that can be thrown together in no time if you have some leftovers on hand, and of course can be modified in a million ways., loosely inspired by one that my guy ordered at that great vegan place in Cape Town. It's another way to use up some juice pulp as well, which is always nice.