BLT Salad
July 21st, 2009
Stumble it!
This salad isn’t exactly… healthy. What it is, exactly, is delicious. And it has a surprise. There’s no lettuce. The greens are baby spinach, and raw kale.
Stay with me, here!
Yes, I said raw kale. I know you are thinking that I have finally gone off the vegan deep end. But I swear, the water is nice!
You can eat raw kale, too, if you pay attention to these three things: the kind, the cut, and the preparation. Follow these three steps and I swear you’ll be eating your kale raw and loving it.
Kind
The first step is finding the right kind of kale. Lacinato kale is perfectly suited to eating raw. I find that it’s thinner and more tender than the other varieties, but sadly, it’s not nearly as common. Look for long, thin, flat leaves that are slightly dimpled.
Cut
It’s not always obvious what the best cut is for a certain dish. Small, thin strips of kale is integral for this salad, or any meal where the kale is served raw or lightly cooked. When the kale is cut this way, the dressing has a much easier time tenderizing the kale without having to cook it. Larger pieces of kale would be much harder to eat.
Preparation
With regular lettuce, you wait to add the dressing until just before serving. Otherwise the salt and acid in the dressing starts to break down the fresh, crisp greens, leaving you with a soggy mess. With a kale salad, this is to your advantage! Dress the salad ahead of time and refrigerate it for a bit. The dressing will soften up the kale just the right amount. Plus, the addition of a creamy dressing compliments kale’s flavors nicely.
There are many fake bacon products out there. My favorite is what I’ve used in this recipe, Lightlife’s Smoky Tempeh Strips. While the package says “Fakin’ Bacon” I find that it’s not at all like what I remember of the real thing, but I still like it. It’s smoky and salty and tangy, and it’s AWESOME in this salad (or on sandwiches). But as awesome as it is, bacon it is not. If you’re looking for something that more closely approximates the texture and flavor of bacon, there are probably other brands out there, but I haven’t found one that I like.
One last note: due to the sturdy nature of kale, this is the perfect picnic and pot luck salad. You can throw it together ahead of time and it’ll be perky and crisp when you get around to serving it. If you’re looking for a side dish that can stand up to summer entertaining, this recipe is a good bet.
BLT Salad
4-6 Side Salads
1 Head Lacinato Kale (aka Tuscan or Dinosaur Kale)*
1 Package Lightelife Organic Smoky Tempeh Strips**
2 Tbs Peanut Oil, divided
1 to 1 1/2 Cups Baby Spinach, Packed
1 to 1 1/2 Cups Sweet Cherry Tomatoes (about 25)
Dressing
1/4 Cup Vegenaise Mayo
1 tsp Dijon Mustard
1/4 tsp Salt
1 tsp Lemon Juice
2 tsp Agave Nectar
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
*You can also use regular lettuce if you like, just make sure not to add the dressing until just before serving.
**Sub baked tofu, another mock bacon, or my Smoky Miso Tofu.
Wash and dry kale. Using kitchen shears (or a knife, or your fingers), remove and discard the center stem from each leaf. I find scissors makes the job quick and easy:
Stack the kale leaves on top of each other and slice into thin strips with a sharp knife:
Place the cut kale into a large bowl. Whisk the dressing together and toss with the kale until evenly coated. If you are using regular lettuce, keep the dressing separate until just before serving. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, longer is no problem.
Meanwhile, prepare the “bacon.” Slice the tempeh strips into thin, small pieces, and pan-fry in 1 Tbs peanut oil for about 5 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp on the edges. Drain on a paper towel and set aside:
Next, add another tablespoon of peanut oil to the same pan you cooked the bacon in (don’t wash it out!). Cook the tomatoes with 1/4 tsp salt for 3 minutes over high heat, or until beginning to soften and the juices are starting to come out. Remove to a bowl, with juices, and set aside.
Assembling the salad
Once you are ready to serve the salad, chop up the baby spinach and toss it with the kale, making sure everything is now covered in dressing. If you are using regular lettuce, mix in the dressing now. Add 3/4 of the bacon and the tomatoes and toss again. Plate, topping the salad with the rest of the bacon and some freshly cracked black pepper. Serve.
Entry Filed under: appetizers, dinner, fake meat, parties, raw, recipe, salad, sauce/dressing
80 Comments
1. Heather @ Vegan Deluxe | July 21st, 2009 at 4:13 pm
Ditch the eggplant parm idea I had earlier for dinner; I’m making this tonight! I looooove a BLT! And this looks perfect for a light evening dinner in hot and humid Florida.
2. vegantickles | July 21st, 2009 at 4:39 pm
I jsut made your Italian Rice and Beans on Sunday and both my husband and I loved it. You rock.
3. Melissa Crowe | July 21st, 2009 at 5:02 pm
Only a vegan would call a salad containing tempeh, kale, and spinach unhealthy. ;-) I know what you mean–it’s the veganaise, but still, I’d say anything with this kind of greens load is good for you! Can’t wait to try it.
4. The Actors Diet | July 21st, 2009 at 5:05 pm
agreed – you gots to have the kale super duper thin for the rawness to work – beautiful salad!!!
5. Andrea | July 21st, 2009 at 5:08 pm
I love kale in salad and my favorite kind is red Russian kale. This looks like just the thing to take to a potluck this weekend. I was going to make brownies but this looks better! Just don’t tell anyone who will be there.
6. Powered by Tofu | July 21st, 2009 at 5:13 pm
Looks great! How long does this recipe take to make? (avg)
You can put it together in around 30 minutes (as long as the salad takes to tenderize in the fridge).
7. Mandee | July 21st, 2009 at 5:32 pm
That does look like a great pot luck salad, I’ll have to try making some tempeh bacon and give it a go!
8. Kip | July 21st, 2009 at 5:32 pm
mmm one of my favourite winter seasonal foods here in the UK is cavalo nero. Makes me drool just thinking about it! The salad looks divine.
9. Shelby | July 21st, 2009 at 5:44 pm
Someone just brought this type of salad to a potluck, it was delicious! You version looks so gorgeous!
10. Kelly | July 21st, 2009 at 5:52 pm
This looks delicious! I’ll have to look for the tempeh strips…
11. Mary | July 21st, 2009 at 10:09 pm
One of those salads that looks and tastes complex, but is deceptively simple. Yum! Perfect for July.
12. Taymer Caribbean Vegan Dishes | July 21st, 2009 at 10:13 pm
What a beautiful salad. I wouldn’t call it unhealthy but I know what you mean. I just had kale for the first time last 2 months and I loved it. Thanks for the tutorial on preparing the kale. You have nice kitchen knives. People think because I am vegan means I do not need nice sharp knives!
13. Louise | July 21st, 2009 at 10:38 pm
This looks delicious and a perfect summer meal if I throw in some tofu or maybe even chickpeas for more substance. I’m always kinda weirded out about eating kale raw though. Doesn’t it have stuff that only cooking can break down?
Oh yeah, i was going to comment to say “Tuck your fingers in!” In the picture with you chopping kale with the knife, I flinched just thinking about the fingertips that could be accidentally knicked.
14. foodsnob | July 21st, 2009 at 11:15 pm
so excited to make this! been getting loads of kale from the Farmer’s Market and all it’s many varieties…this is just one more way to rock it out.
15. Josiane | July 21st, 2009 at 11:32 pm
Oh, the perfect picnic and pot luck salad! Awesome!
Lacinato kale is new to me. Now, I’ll be on the lookout for this variety!
16. delaïdo | July 21st, 2009 at 11:39 pm
I’d never thought about the fact that you can add dressing to kale long in advance and it enhances the salad. I’ve been trained by lettuce that dressing is only added right before serving, so I need to rethink it! I do like to eat kale with dressing, but I usually steam it for 5 minutes first.
17. molly | July 21st, 2009 at 11:48 pm
i feed the center part of the kale to my bunnies
18. VeganPower | July 22nd, 2009 at 12:01 am
Oh waouw, i love the salad and this is very appetising !
Vegan ymuyum i love your work in your website ! Good job !
19. astrorainfall @ beauty box | July 22nd, 2009 at 1:10 am
Looks yummy. I would prob be more open to having tempeh as fake bacon, as opposed to a seitan version of some sort.
Beautiful pictures, as always!
20. Clea | July 22nd, 2009 at 7:54 am
I have another kale tip– not sure how exactly this works, but if you chop (or tear) your kale into bite-sized pieces (after washing, of course) and marinate it in your dressing, really squeezing it and “massaging” it for about 5 minutes, it tastes amazing. And even better the next day. I usually use olive oil and lemon juice– pretty sure a fat and an acid are essential to this process, but you could always experiment! Massaged kale: TRULY the deep end.
21. Cindy | July 22nd, 2009 at 10:49 am
Hmmm….I guess I’m the only one that doesn’t mind raw kale? My husband and I will eat regular curly green and red kale in a salad raw. Plus, we use it instead of lettuce on our veggie burgers. I think it adds texture and a yummy taste. I am definitely making this!
22. zoe | July 22nd, 2009 at 1:37 pm
Gorgeous salad. The kale and spinach are an interesting combination. I bet it could this salad could be cooked and served as a hot side dish as well.
23. Bianca- Vegan Crunk | July 22nd, 2009 at 4:02 pm
Yum! I love veggie BLTs, but I’ve never thought to make it into a salad. It seems so obvious now! I might even add an avocado to make a BTLA salad.
24. Marion | July 22nd, 2009 at 4:05 pm
This salad looks nice, it makes me want to taste raw kale… why not? ;)
25. Celina | July 22nd, 2009 at 4:07 pm
I love raw kale! Thank you for the tips on making it more palatable :)
26. Don't Get Mad, Get Vegan! | July 22nd, 2009 at 8:50 pm
I just made this for dinner. AMAZING! I knew when I saw your post I would head straight to the market and get some kale and some Tempeh.
Normally, raw kale is not my thing. I made the dressing and let it sit with the kale for a couple hours and then dug in for dinner.
WOW! I have a new favorite salad!
thanks so much for sharing!
27. Nicole | July 22nd, 2009 at 10:39 pm
I love kale, but I always cook it. Thanks for the instructions on how to eat it raw. I’m sure it’s even healthier that way!
28. the gardeners cottage | July 23rd, 2009 at 10:53 am
Oh my goodness, I made this last night with the smoky miso tofu! I used super fresh romaine from the farmers market. It was delicious. Your recipes are amazing and inspiring.
Janet
29. Francesca | July 23rd, 2009 at 11:09 am
Funny-I was told lightlife stopped making their smoky tempeh strips by my favorite health food store…is that not true? I hope they still do if you’re buying it because it was my favorite.
30. Zoé | July 23rd, 2009 at 1:48 pm
I am getting to know your blog. The photos are really great and recipes seems really tempting! Congratulations!
31. anna | July 23rd, 2009 at 5:20 pm
your posts are so worth the waiting, every time…
thanks, really :-)
32. Leigh | July 23rd, 2009 at 9:28 pm
I just made this with a couple of adjustments-
I lightly sauteed the spinach and added avocado.
This is the best salad I’ve had in my entire life.
Thank you!!
33. Karen | July 24th, 2009 at 10:32 am
That definitely earns three yum-yums in my book! I’m going to try it out on some of my vegan clients, too. Thanks – your blog is full of great images and ideas.
34. Koko | July 24th, 2009 at 10:58 am
This looks divine- unhealthy or not!
I recently tried your sweet chili lime tofu dish and it was sooooo delicious! I linked to your site on my blog, of course =)
35. The Veg Next Door | July 24th, 2009 at 11:44 am
As always, beautiful food and pictures.
Kudos for being spotlighted in the recent issue of Vegetarian Times. I’m going to order my doughnut pans today.
36. Amir | July 24th, 2009 at 1:54 pm
I like the idea of using kale instead of lettuce, since it’s so much cheaper and sometimes even tastier too…have to try something like this soon!
37. Kelly | July 24th, 2009 at 9:14 pm
Healthy-healthy or not that looks delicious. You fooled me with that tempeh bacon…it looked so much like the real thing.
38. DJ | July 25th, 2009 at 4:30 pm
My mouth is watering at that picture of tempeh bacon strips – and of course, it makes perfect sense to use raw kale!!!
39. myrecessionkitchen | July 25th, 2009 at 7:56 pm
Your recipe comes at the perfect time, I have a yard full of kale and spinach, which I prefer to eat it raw. Lifelife bacon tempeh is one of my most favorite proteins. I made this for dinner tonight, very yum!
40. Scootabaker | July 26th, 2009 at 12:35 pm
oh my god! I need to make this! I used to eat BLT’s back in the day, but, of course, now that’s not an option, but this makes my stomach growl. I don’t care if it’s not healthy. Everything I bake at home isn’t healthy. Whose watching? ha!
luv,
Heather
41. Joanne | July 27th, 2009 at 7:18 pm
Great looking salad and I love the use of tempeh. It’s a keeper.
42. kirsten | July 27th, 2009 at 8:23 pm
This looks fantastic!
I have never heard of Lacinato Kale, but I am going to hunt some down for sure.
43. Hundewanderer | July 27th, 2009 at 9:28 pm
I came here via bakerella’s site. Your recipes and photos make vegetarianism look really wonderful! I also watched your Martha Stewart video clip, you are tiny and adorable. Thank you for taking the time and effort to share your world with me.
44. Heidi | July 27th, 2009 at 11:09 pm
I love kale! In fact I love it so much that I ate a ton of it for dinner a few years back. Then I happily nursed my new baby girl. When I called the nurse at 2am to see why my tiny daughter was screaming her head off, she asked me what I’d eaten. Who knew kale, beautiful, healthy kale could produce gas in nursing babies? Oh well, she survived and is now a thriving teeny bopper and now I can eat as much kale as I please. So BLT Salad here I come!
45. Andrea | July 28th, 2009 at 8:33 am
Luciano Kale looks like what is also called Dinosaur kale in some stores. Also, you can “massage” kale with the oil to soften it. Just make sure your hands are clean and then massage the oil into the kale. It is a great technique which I use with avocado, kale, salt and lemon juice for different kinds of kale salads.
46. Apeksha | July 29th, 2009 at 4:40 am
That looks yummy! Love baby spinach in salads!
47. Gena (Choosing Raw) | July 29th, 2009 at 9:08 am
This looks totally great, my dear! I love raw kale salad. Check out my raw BLT sandwich!
http://www.choosingraw.com/the-raw-blt/
48. Maka | July 29th, 2009 at 4:14 pm
This sounds delicious. I will give a try soon! In the meantime, do you have a recipe for marshmallows handy? I can’t find one anywhere. Thanks in advance!
49. Minneapolis Farmers Market | July 29th, 2009 at 6:39 pm
Yummy. We are going to tweet a link to this. Also, fyi, we are running a tweet ode to #kale contest. Tweet us your best 140
@MplsFarmMarket
50. Textual Bulldog | July 30th, 2009 at 11:05 am
Looks incredible! Can’t wait to try it.
51. kale salad | Hold The Oni&hellip | July 30th, 2009 at 9:31 pm
[...] is a really great vegan food blog (definitely check it out)! The other day her post called “BLT Salad” inspired me to make the first harvest of kale from our garden into a fresh raw salad. [...]
52. Sarah Et Cetera » F&hellip | July 31st, 2009 at 9:06 am
[...] Vegan BLT salad featuring tempeh strips. You could always just add real bacon! [...]
53. emfole | August 1st, 2009 at 12:25 pm
hey i made yr mac and cheese before and just came back for something else- Just finished eating this salad- genius! thanks so much! gorgeous photos too :)
54. Deb H. | August 2nd, 2009 at 10:09 pm
Fantastic!!!! I just made this for dinner tonight, and it was every bit as delicious as I’d hoped. I can’t wait to make this again. Thank you so much for sharing this deliciousness with us.
55. Carrie | August 10th, 2009 at 10:48 am
I can’t tell you how excited I am about this recipe! I thought that in order to receive the health benefits of eating raw kale, I would be forced to drown little pieces in fruit smoothies for the rest of my life. But this worked very well!!! The dressing really did soften it a bit. I even refrigerated some of it overnight, and it was still great the next day! (not soggy)
I would also consider this very healthy. Even with all the added [plant] fat from the veganaise. Let’s face it, vegans are somewhat lacking in the fat department anyway- bring it on!
Thank you so much for this recipe!
56. Ashley | August 10th, 2009 at 11:04 pm
I’ve never cooked with kale before – this looks wonderful!
57. Cicada | August 27th, 2009 at 10:22 pm
Mother of God. I just made this, and it’s the best thing I’ve eaten all summer. I’m probably going to eat it all tonight, and I don’t even care that that means I’m going to eat a quarter cup of Vegenaise tonight.
58. Silent Stylist | September 3rd, 2009 at 2:22 pm
I ran into the Lacinato kale yesterday at the market and I made the salad this morning and just had the first bite for lunch. It is soooo good!!!. You’re recipes are vegan Godsends. Kudos.
59. veggiefrog | September 3rd, 2009 at 3:18 pm
I made this last night and it was awesome! For anybody in Toronto, Ontario, Ying Ying Soy Foods at St. Lawrence Market has soy bacon that works in this recipes.
60. A Day Off — EmmaBun&hellip | September 11th, 2009 at 6:20 pm
[...] Then my teenage boy-esque hunger kicked in when I got home. I was inspired by a Vegan Yum Yum recipe I saw a few days ago to buy the Light Life tempeh Fakin’ Bacon and make a salad with it for dinner tonight. The only part of the recipe I really followed was the dressing, which was by far the best creamy dressing I’ve ever had! It was SO simple too – just a base of veganaise with a little dijon mustard, agave, lemon juice, salt and pepper. To check out the full recipe, go here. [...]
61. Christina Blue | September 15th, 2009 at 9:02 pm
This recipe is the shit. I have been making it every other week since you first posted it. It absolutely satisfies my craving for bacon wilted spinach salads. Since I’m southern, I do make a little more dressing than called for, and I ad mushrooms in with the cherry tomatoes. It may not be super healthy but I still think it’s a great way to eat some hearty greens! Thanks for sharing!
62. Lynn Stewart | September 19th, 2009 at 8:07 pm
I just bought the third to last copy of your book at Amazon.ca … whoo hoo, can’t wait for it to arrive. You have an amazing blog! Love your photography and recipes.
The kale you use here I just bought yesterday at my local farmer’s market in Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada. I used in it my green smoothie this morning and that was good … but now I’m off to try it in a salad! Thanks for the hints on using it.
63. Ratsofritz | September 21st, 2009 at 1:48 pm
This salad is so yummy and very easy to prepare. I love that you can put the dressing on the kale well before you serve it. Thank you for another great recipe!
64. Claire G | September 22nd, 2009 at 10:46 am
re: bacon alternatives
A farm down here makes and sells Smoke-Dried Tomatoes. They are so unbelievably bacon-y! I put them in almost any dish where I need a smokey/chewy flavor, and they never disappoint. They’re smoked Romas, and can be bought dried or oil-packed.
For something like this recipe, I’d probably use the oil packed, drained well, and then chopped into small pieces. They’re very intense flavor-wise, so smaller pieces are better!
http://www.boggycreekfarm.com/pages/larrys-smoke-dried-tomatoes.php
Of course, now I see that they don’t have any to sell this year because of the earth-killing drought we’ve been suffering through, but keep them in mind for next year!
65. Green Powerhouse Salad &#&hellip | September 27th, 2009 at 10:26 pm
[...] kale salad idea since Breaded Tofu and Mushrooms on Steamed Kale. Strangely, VeganYumYum posted a kale salad recipe at almost the exact same time (even cutting the kale the same way!). Hers used raw, rather than [...]
66. francis | October 2nd, 2009 at 12:55 pm
WOW-Great blogsite!!!!!!!!!!!!! I really enjoyed the pictures! Thank you for brightening my day- Francishttp://www.geothermalquestions.net
67. laurel o | October 12th, 2009 at 3:44 pm
This is about the vegan yum yum app.
I was really excited about it, but it killed my iPod, I had to restore it to factory settings and reload all my other songs and apps onto it. I really love your blog, you might want to stop offering the app until the bugs are worked out, I’d love a copy of it when it’s fixed.
lovelovelove
laurel o
68. Ariella | October 21st, 2009 at 7:42 am
Ohhhh my. This salad looks awesome, and your website is to-die-for beautiful. Congratulations on your cookbook, I can’t wait to check it out. As far as raw kale goes, yes thin thin thin. I first discovered how thin kate needs to be when I went to a little brazilian hole-in-the wall in Somerville, across from Market basket and saw how they do their Kale Salad. It’s all in the chopping.
69. Vegan BLT — Perfect Wom&hellip | November 10th, 2009 at 8:43 am
[...] week’s torture adventure is BLT Salad, which I found on a great website – Vegan Yum Yum. Check out the site to find some great, healthy recipes. Of course, this recipe isn’t [...]
70. BLT Kale Salad « Bu&hellip | January 9th, 2010 at 10:19 am
[...] http://veganyumyum.com/2009/07/blt-salad/ Filed under: Recipes No Comments Comments (0) Trackbacks (0) ( subscribe to comments on this post ) [...]
71. Jennifer | February 3rd, 2010 at 9:50 pm
WOW!!! Another fantastic salad. It was so easy to make and it taste so yummy. Thank you so much.
72. Leafy Greens and You! &la&hellip | March 29th, 2010 at 12:18 pm
[...] great recipe using greens is VeganYumYum’s BLT Salad! She uses dinosaur Kale (my favorite) and lets the dressing soften the raw leaves before [...]
73. Penny | April 2nd, 2010 at 10:02 pm
Thank you for more kale ideas!
I eat raw kale for breakfast every morning in a shake. Just blend kale, oatmeal (uncooked), peanut butter, and rice or soymilk. That’s the basic mix, but I add bee pollen, flaxseed, and raw honey sometimes too. Also I substitute almond butter instead of peanut butter.
74. Penny | April 2nd, 2010 at 10:04 pm
I forgot to mention – add a banana to the kale shake!
75. Cathy Savage | April 16th, 2010 at 7:17 pm
Sooo tasty! I used mustard greens and chard instead of kale. Fabulous!
76. If I ran the Alamo Drafth&hellip | May 3rd, 2010 at 11:50 am
[...] American Beauty BLT Salad, raw kale with bacon style tempeh strips, spinach, and tomatoes in a veganaisse style [...]
77. Obsessed: Kale « Wh&hellip | June 1st, 2010 at 1:13 pm
[...] BLT Kale Salad [...]
78. Kale and Cabbage Salad wi&hellip | June 26th, 2010 at 11:01 pm
[...] Posted on June 27, 2010 by Elizabeth I adapted this recipe from Vegan Yum Yum’s BLT Salad. If you haven’t checked out this blog, and the accompanying cookbook (one of the most [...]
79. “BLT” Salad |&hellip | July 10th, 2010 at 12:56 pm
[...] Adapted from Lolo at Vegan YumYum. [...]
80. Eat your greens, Davie. &&hellip | July 29th, 2010 at 3:43 am
[...] is a salad very loosely based on the BLT salad by Vegan Yum Yum, but I opted to make my own tempeh bacon, substitute extra-virgin olive oil for [...]