Although modified for BLE meal planning and portion control this recipe is not compliant with BLE’s four bright lines because of the dates. Know your triggers. This recipe may work for you if you are low on the susceptibility scale. The original recipe was created by Chef AJ.
| Each serving provides: ½ fat per serving (works out to be about 2 oz dressing per serving) |
Salad Ingredients
(partial veg) allow 3 oz curly kale per serving
Dressing Ingredients
(makes about 9 oz/4 servings)
(4 fat) 2 oz (4 Tbsp) almond or peanut butter
(free) ½ oz pitted dates
(free) ½ cup water
(free) 2 Tbsp lemon juice
(free) ¾ tsp garlic powder
(free) 15g/.5oz ginger zest*
(free) 1 Tbsp tamari
(free) 1/8 tsp guar gum, optional*
(free) hot sauce, optional
Instructions
- Add dates and water to personal blender and leave sit for 30 minutes or until dates are soft.
- Add all the ingredients except the guar gum and blend until smooth.
- Check the consistency. If you want a little more body to the dressing, add the guar gum and immediately blend to incorporate.
- Weigh the total amount of dressing made then divide into 4 equal servings. (See Portion Sizes in notes/tips).
- Add dressing to 3 ounces kale. Mix thoroughly to coat all the kale. It’s ideal to massage the dressing into the kale with your hand as the combination of the dressing and the massaging will break down the tough fibers in the kale.
- Keep leftover salad in the fridge and use the next day.
- Leftover over salad dressing will keep in refrigerator up to 5 days or freeze.
Notes/Tips
Save Time – This salad holds up well, and can be dressed several hours ahead of time.
Kale – One bundle of kale that has been washed and chopped is usually around 10 ounces.
Ginger – I find it to be easier to weigh the ginger before zesting. Then start zesting, and re-weigh the ginger until it displays that you removed 5 oz/15 g.
Guar gum – comes from the seeds of the guar plant. It is a common ingredient used for thickening and stabilizing. It needs to be blended immediately after adding it to a wet ingredient. Do not over use. It takes extremely little. Although it begins to thicken immediately, allow about 5 minutes to fully thicken.
Portion Size – I usually divide the dressing into 8 equal portions. In our family, some people prefer only 1½ oz of kale. Having the dressing portioned into 8 equal portions allows for more versatility. When dressing is divided into 8 servings, then it is only ¼ fat serving.
Cooked Kale – Use as a sauce on cooked kale, or any other grain or vegetable.
Making it a Complete Meal
- Serve with baked potato, steamed vegetables and a protein.