Peas ‘n Kale Salad with Paprika Dressing

When I wrote up a recipe last fall for Beans ‘n Kale Salad, I never thought it would be one of the top search terms for finding this blog.  I still do love that salad, but sometime before July 4, I started thinking about how summer often has, paradoxically, a tradition of creamy dressing – there’s all those pasta salads, potato salads – within about 5 minutes, I gave myself the worst craving for something creamy and rich, so I immediately put a cup of cashews to soak, and an hour later, blended up this creamy paprika dressing which would be perfect with any combination of greens and beans.  I used black-eyed peas so I could call this Peas ‘n Kale salad rather than Beans ‘n Kale Salad. Also, to counterbalance the creaminess of the dressing, I used lots of lemon and lime to brighten it up, as well as a chopped jalapeño in the salad for a little kick.

If you make this salad with kale, it will hold up until the next day, which will make it the ideal weekend lunchbox lunch:

• Peas ‘n Kale Salad with Paprika Dressing (recipe below)
• Grain-free Vegan Savory Broccoli Muffin
• A raw bread experiment, which is good for crumbling atop a salad, but only eh as a raw bread

You all know my love for weekend lunchboxes. Perfect for on-the-go. 

Peas ‘n Kale Salad with Paprika Dressing (Gluten-Free, Vegan, Sugar-Conscious) Makes 2-4 servings, depending on whether you serve it as a main or side dish

• About half a bunch of kale, deribbed and either chopped into long slivers or torn into smaller pieces (see note, below)
• 1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp paprika dressing, separated, plus more for garnish (see below)
• 1 cup chopped red pepper (this was 1 medium red pepper to start with)
• 1 cup chopped green pepper
• A jalapeño, seeds and ribs removed (if you wish), chopped finely 
• 1/3 cup chopped scallions (this was two large scallions to start with)
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups of cooked black-eyed peas (see note, below)

Massage the kale with the dressing until well-coated and a bit wilted.  Add remaining ingredients and tablespoon of dressing. Toss well. Add more dressing if desired.  This will keep 24 hours in the fridge.

Black-eyed peas: I used part of a package of frozen black-eyed peas, which I found at Whole Foods, or you could cook your own from dried black-eyed peas, or buy a can of black-eyed peas. I recommend Eden for the later – BPA-free, and they have a good gluten-free policy.  As for cooking black-eyed peas from dried peas, you know I am all about dried beans (cooked in the rice cooker), but the only dried black-eyed peas I have ever seen at any grocery store I go to are in the bulk bins, which I do not shop from on account of possible gluten cross-contamination.

Kale: you can use any other greens in this salad, but may want to reduce the dressing. Also, other greens won’t hold up to the dressing overnight as kale will, so plan accordingly.

Creamy Paprika Dressing (Gluten-Free, Vegan, Sugar-Conscious) – Makes about 1 cup

• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked for at least an hour
• Juice of 1 lemon – about 2 Tbsps
• Juice of 2 lime – about 2 Tbsps
• 1 Tbsp miso (I used azuki miso, which is a mild miso, but a mild brown rice miso would be lovely too) *or* 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp sweet paprika
• Fresh Ground pepper (I added lots)
• 2-5 Tbsps of water, depending on how thick you would like the dressing to be

Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender. If using a regular blender or mini-prep, grind the cashews first, and then add the remaining ingredients.

I am submitting this salad to several blog events:

My Legume Love Affair, a blog event dedicated to all things legume, created by Susan of Well-Seasoned Cook.  This is the fourth anniversary of the event, and Susan herself is hosting.  Be sure to stop by her blog – she is having some guest posts this month in addition to her usual great blog posts.

No Croutons Required, a monthly vegetarian soup or salad event, which Lisa of Lisa’s Kitchen  and Jacqueline of Tinned Tomatoes take turns hosting.  This month, Lisa is hosting and the theme is hot peppers, so this recipe with jalapeño fits the theme.

I am also submitting this recipe to the following weekly events starting with:

A new weekly event, just for summer, hosted by the incomparable Ricki of Diet, Desserts and Dogs, Summer Wellness Weekends. The concept behind Summer Wellness Weekends is “any good-for-you, whole foods, especially those with antioxidant properties or “functional foods” (ie, offering naturally medicinal or health-promoting qualities–such as garlic, coconut oil, all vegetables, fruits, herbs, etc.).”  Between the kale, peppers and miso, this recipe covers it.

Real Sustenance’s Seasonal Sunday event – since peppers are seasonal to summer, this recipe fits.

A blog event hosted by Flip Cookbook called Sugar Free Sunday, which includes sweet and savory dishes made with non-refined sugars.

Slightly Indulgent Tuesday with Amy of Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free

Real Food Weekly with Diane of The WHOLE Gang –   technically, miso is not a whole food by the standards of the event (i.e. it contains more than a couple of ingredients), but I have made this dressing recipe with just salt, and it is just as delicious, so I am submitting the variation without miso for this event.

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