There are few things I love more than a new food discovery. Whether it be a new restaurant, a new product (I almost died and went to heaven when I discovered Purely Decadent ice cream in Whole Foods one hot summer day), or a new ingredient, it’s always exciting bringing some variety into your food world. So imagine my excitement when I found coconut amino at my local health food store when I went to re-up on my bottle of wheat-free tamari. There, in the section where it seemed only fermented soy products were destined to reside, was this soy-free, dairy-free, vegan product. I turned around the label. I must have been missing something. Would there be some disclaimer on the back — some small print concession that this product contains a trace amount of soy? Nope. Just more to make me want to buy the stuff. It was high in healthy amino acids. Lower in sodium than soy sauce or liquid amino and very low on the glycemic index. Plus, it was relatively inexpensive. Here is my inaugural recipe using coconut amino: a simple, satisfying kale salad with quinoa for protein (an homage to the cafe at the Detroit Zen Center, a Delectably Free fave), and dried cranberries for a tart, sweet addition.
Kale Salad:
1 bunch kale, washed, chopped and tough ribs removed
1 cup cooked quinoa, kept warm
1/2 cup fruit sweetened dried cranberries
Dressing:
3 tablespoons coconut amino
3 tablespoons sesame tahini
3 tablespoons fresh-squeezed orange juice
2 tablespoons water
Directions:
1. Prepare dressing in a blender or, alternately, combine ingredients in a jar and shake vigorously.
2. Toss salad ingredients with dressing in a large bowl until kale is covered. Some dressing may be left over.
About how many people would you estimate this serves? I want to try it (as a main dish), but I’m having trouble guessing the right portions.
Hi Luca, I would say this serves about 4 as a side dish, 2 as a main. Again, when I get some more time, I’m going to go back and edit the recipes to include amounts.
take care,
Beth
Awesome. Thanks for the info, and the recipe.
All right, so we made the kale salad at my house on Sunday and it was awesome. I wish I could provide feedback on how much it served, but I’m not sure how much kale we used. I’m guessing roughly 12 bunches, and it served 10-15 of us with a nice amount of leftover. (So your estimate is probably spot on.)
Muchly delicious. Thanks again!
Luca — Thanks for the feedback. I am thrilled you enjoyed it as much as I did : )
Beth,
I just bought the kale salad at a health food store and am in love! I will definitely try your recipe and hope that I can do it justice…and that it tastes like the Detroit Zen Center. Not that me having the recipe will take away from me supporting them.
MUCH thanks!!
Crisi — I’d love to hear how you liked this version. In my mind, nothing compares to the DZC kale salad, but I think this is a good one in its own right. Thanks for checking in!