I’m about to knock your socks off with this killer salad. And guess what? It’s an 86 Lemons original! I guess after almost two and a half years of vegan cooking, I should be able to come up with my own recipes by now. Still, I’m tootin’ my own horn over here because this summer salad is the SHIZZLE!
A while back, I bought a small container of hazelnut oil at T.J. Maxx. Not sure what I was saving it for, but I finally popped it open and used it for this recipe. Uhh-mazeballs. If you have some, use it in this recipe. If not, no worries—olive oil will work just fine. Also, if you’re not a fan of kale, I strongly urge you to try it in this recipe. Just don’t skip the “very finely chopped” part—it makes a big difference. Plus it’s a sturdy leafy green, which means leftovers will store well in the fridge for a day or two with minimal wilting.
This salad is great on its own, but the macadamia nut-cherry crumble makes it blog-worthy. It complements the dijon dressing perfectly. The recipe makes more crumble than you’ll need, which is fortunate. Store it in the freezer and snag a bite-sized piece when you need to cure a sweet tooth. Or use it as a topping (along with some shaved dark chocolate, of course) on vegan ice cream. It would be great in a hot bowl of oatmeal, too! The list goes on…
Okay, so I know this post makes three salad posts out of the last four. I’m sure you weren’t counting. But just in case, I promise that my next recipe post will NOT be a salad. Any requests?
Vegan Summer Salad with Macadamia Nut-Cherry Crumble (Gluten-free)
Recipe Type: Salad
Cuisine: Vegan, Gluten-Free
Author: Livvy @ 86 Lemons
Serves: 6 side salads
Ingredients
Salad Ingredients:
- 1 bunch red or green kale, destemmed and very finely chopped
- 6 small carrots, peeled and shredded* (about 2 cups)
- 1 large seedless cucumber, thinly sliced*
- 1 large avocado, chopped
Crumble Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup macadamia nuts
- 1/2 cup dried cherries
- 1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
Dressing Ingredients:
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/4 cup olive oil (or hazelnut oil if you care to splurge)
- 2 Tbsp dijon mustard
- 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup
- 1/4 tsp fine grain sea salt
Instructions
- Add kale, carrots and cucumber to a large bowl; toss. Set aside.
- Add macadamia nuts to food processor and pulse until mostly chopped. Add dried cherries and lemon juice; pulse just a few times until mixture comes together and cherries are finely chopped. Scrape mixture into small bowl and set aside.
- No need to clean the processor bowl yet. Add garlic clove and process until finely chopped. Add remaining dressing ingredients and process until smooth and creamy. Pour dressing over kale/carrot/cucumber mixture; toss to coat.
- Plate each salad, then top with chunks of the macadamia nut-cherry crumble and chopped avocado. You will likely have leftover crumble mixture, which can be stored in the freezer.
Notes
*If you have shredder/slicer discs for your food processor, they will make quick work of these two tasks.
I have this on my to-make list for next week. What a fabulous idea!