Kale Citrus Salad + Hemp Seed Dressing

Three highlights to this weeks salad recipe that make it a great one: 1. Seasonal citrus 2. Meet a new veggie: Radicchio and 3. Athlete-friendly hemp seeds.

Inspiration:

Three highlights to this week’s salad recipe that make it a great one :
1. Seasonal citrus
2. Meet a new veggie, Radicchio
3. Athlete-friendly hemp seeds

Citrus is on point this time of year and there is no better way to use it than in this colorful salad. Combining oranges, grapefruit and the sweetest + most colorful blood oranges make this salad a perfect addition to your winter table. Plus: Vitamin C.

One of the reasons I wanted to get H&B rolling is to encourage everyone to try some new foods. Meet: Radicchio. Not a common veggie on most tables. Radicchio is a great addition to your salad routine because it’s rich in Vitamin K and contains loads of antioxidants. I love it for it’s color and sturdiness (no soggy salads here!). But be warned, radicchio is bitter. To cut that bitter taste out, we are going to give the radicchio an ice water soak.

This salad is dressed with a vegan-friendly, creamy, hemp seed + nutritional yeast dressing. Hemp seeds are awesome for athletes packing in 5g of protein in just 1 tablespoon.

Ingredients:

serves 4-6

Salad
½  small head radicchio
1 large bunch kale (Lacinato/Tuscan or curly), thick stems removed
¾ cup hazelnuts
1 grapefruit
1 Navel or Cara Cara orange
1 blood orange
1 avocado

Dressing
1/2 cup hemp seeds
4 Tbsp. olive oil
4 Tbsp. fresh squeezed citrus of juice (orange, lemon, blood orange, etc.)
2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 Tbsp dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Instructions:

Make an ice bath to soak the radicchio: fill a medium bowl with a couple handfuls of ice and plenty of cold water. Tear the radicchio into pieces and submerge it in the ice water. Soak for 20 minutes while you prepare the rest of the salad.

Heat a small pan on the stove over medium heat. Toast your hazelnuts over medium heat, swirling the pan every 45 seconds or so for 3-5 minutes. Keep a close eye on the pan as nuts can go from barely toasted to overly toasted in just a matter of minutes. Set aside to cool and then roughly chop.

Make dressing: Combine all ingredients in high speed blender and mix well. Depending on desired thickness you may need to add a bit of water. 

Tear the kale into bite-size pieces. Peel and slice the grapefruit and oranges into circles or half-moons, depending on the size of the citrus. Slice avocado. 

Drain the radicchio and pat dry. Toss the kale and radicchio in a large bowl and drizzle with half the dressing and a little salt and pepper. Use a wooden spoon to toss the leaves and lightly mash them into the bottom and sides of the bowl to help soften them a little. Add the citrus and hazelnuts and toss gently. Top with the avocado and a bit more of the remaining dressing to taste. Add a sprinkle of hemp seeds if you are feeling fancy.

A few notes:

I highly recommend the radicchio ice bath, if not it is quite bitter and may not appeal to everyone. 

You can find hemp seeds at natural food stores, Trader Joes or we used Bob’s Red Mill. 

You can store leftover salad in the fridge for a day or two. The avocado may brown, so if you are not planning on eating it all at once, leave the avocado off to the side, and store the rest. 

Leftover dressing can also be stored in the fridge for up to 1 week. Add to salads, roasted veggies or your favorite grilled meat as a side sauce. 

Feel free to add any nut of your choice. We just like hazelnuts as it’s the official state nut of Oregon.