Creamy Lemon Miso Chopped Kale Salad Recipe

When I was interning and on my way to becoming a dietitian, one of my nutrition rotations had me travel to an industrial building where we had to try and convince a group of factory workers to be enthusiastic about eating vegetables — and let’s just say it wasn’t easy. Regardless of the health and preventative benefits we shared, they didn’t really care, and I don’t blame them for that. People are inundated with nutrition information all the time, and it will only matter to someone if what you are sharing can fit in their lives. And the thing that made the biggest impact was actually giving them examples of how you could make vegetables taste so much better than expected.

So I worked on a handout, and then one night I spent time massaging kale in a simple dressing to help soften it to improve its taste and texture. I set up all my hard work in their break room and everyone was skeptical when they looked at it. A few brave people decided to give it a try, which then caused more people to try it. Even the pickiest of the group was surprised that they actually liked kale this way, let alone at all. Since then, I’ve made many variations of this salad. This one uses white beans and hemp hearts to add protein and is then massaged with an umami-rich tahini dressing to make it super satisfying. —Catherine Perez

Creamy Lemon Miso Chopped Kale Salad

Serves 3

Prep time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 6 cups kale, stems removed, chopped
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• Kosher salt to taste
• 2 tablespoons hemp hearts
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 garlic clove, grated
• 2 tablespoons good-quality tahini
• 2 teaspoons yellow or white miso paste
• 2 teaspoons maple syrup
• 1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 avocado, sliced
• Freshly ground black pepper

Courtesy HarperCollins Publishers

Directions

To a large mixing bowl, add the chopped kale and top with the lemon zest, sesame oil, and a generous pinch of salt. Use your hands to rub the zest and salt into the greens until the kale has shrunk in size and become softer in texture, about 2 minutes.

To the kale, add the hemp hearts and scallions, then set the bowl aside to make the dressing.

To a separate small mixing bowl, add the garlic, lemon juice, tahini, miso paste, and maple syrup, then whisk together until completely smooth. As you mix, you may notice the sauce thicken. To thin it out, add 1 tablespoon of cold water at a time while whisking until you reach your desired consistency.

Pour half the dressing over the bowl of kale and toss to evenly combine.  Add the beans and avocado along with the remaining dressing, season with a pinch of pepper, and carefully fold everything together. Adjust salt and pepper to taste and enjoy.

Excerpted from Peaceful Kitchen by Catherine Perez. Reprinted with permission from HarperOne, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Copyright 2024. Photos: Catherine Perez.