If you’re ready to lighten things up after the heavy foods of the holiday season, start the New Year by making Kale and Avocado Salad with Cilantro Cashew Butter. If you prepare the Cilantro Cashew Butter in advance, this simple salad of kale and avocado in a lime olive oil dressing comes together in 10 minutes. It’s the perfect dinner for nights when you aren’t that hungry but still need a little something. Or, serve Kale and Avocado Salad with Cilantro Cashew Butter as a side to your favorite salmon.
Philly Cheesesteak for Breakfast
I recently got a reliable recommendation for a local spot known for it’s authentic Philly Cheesesteak. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it.
On Tuesday morning, I found myself in that neighborhood at 11 a.m. with a little time to spare.
It was so freaking good. But needless to say, I was still not hungry at 7pm that night.
Still, I knew I needed to eat something or I’d be starving at 10pm. And I’d end up eating a pile of Christmas cookies.
So I made Kale and Avocado Salad with Cilantro Cashew Butter. It was exactly what I needed to counteract the calories (and grease) of the Philly cheesesteak.
Cilantro Cashew Butter
If you throw nuts into a food processor with a little water, you’ll eventually get a nut butter. Throw in a little lime juice, cilantro and salt and you’ve got a delicious base for salad or roasted vegetables and it’s packed with protein.
Ideally you’ll want to soak the cashews for at least 30 minutes. But if you didn’t plan for that, it’s fine. Your cashew butter may end up having some small chunks, but that adds texture!
Cilantro Cashew Butter can be made using the stems from a bunch of cilantro. It’s the perfect way to use up some of that cilantro that is rotting in your fridge before you throw it away.
I make Cilantro Cashew Butter and keep it in the fridge for up to two weeks. If I have the butter already prepared, Kale and Avocado Salad with Cilantro Cashew Butter is on the table in 10 minutes, and that includes leaving 5 minutes for the kale to tenderize in the lime juice.
Kale and Avocado Salad with Cilantro Cashew Butter
This salad is so simple. Just rough chop some kale (I like lacinato for salads but curly kale is fine) and toss it in a mixture of lime juice and olive oil. Let it sit for 5 minutes while you cut the avocado and get the cashew butter spread on the plate.
Remove the hard stems from bigger pieces of kale before you chop. You can do this by holding the thick stem in one hand and pulling the kale off of it with the other.
Whisk together the juice of half a lime and about a tablespoon of good extra virgin olive oil in a small dish. Season with salt and pepper, and use your hands to toss the kale around until it’s coated and glossy.
Set aside for 5 minutes to allow it to absorb. You can also walk away from this for more than an hour and it will still be delicious (if you use lacinato kale).
Cubing Avocados
Kale and Avocado Salad with Cilantro Cashew Butter is the ideal vehicle for perfectly ripe avocados. Just cut them in half, remove the seed, and carefully cut into cubes right in the skin. Use a spoon to scoop the cubes out.
All you have left to do is to smear a nice thick layer of Cilantro Cashew Butter onto your serving plate.
Top with the wilted kale and cubed avocadoes. Sprinkle with a generous amount of pepitas and serve!
I use Nate’s Raw Harvest Organic Styrian Pumpkin Seeds in this recipe for Kale and Avocado Salad with Cilantro Cashew Butter but you can use regular green pepitas too.
Make to scrape up a little bit of that Cilantro Cashew Butter with each bite. I promise you will be licking the plate.
If you didn’t eat a Philly cheesesteak for breakfast and need something more substantial, you can serve Kale and Avocado Salad with Cilantro Cashew Butter with a piece of seared salmon.
Ingredients
- 1 cup unroasted, unsalted cashews
- water
- 2 inches cilantro stems (or 1/2 cup chopped cilantro)
- 1 lime, divided
- salt and pepper
- 2 cups lacinato kale, roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 avocado, cubed
- 1/4 cup pepitas
Instructions
Make the Cilantro Cashew Butter
- Place the cashews in a small food processor. Cover with water. Allow to soak for 30 minutes or leave overnight. Add the cilantro stems to the processor and mix on high speed until well blended, scraping down the sides as needed. If you don't have time to soak the cashews, just use a splash of water and the cilantro stems and blend until mostly smooth. You may still have small chunks of cashew but that's yummy!
- Once the mixture is smooth, squeeze in the juice of 1/2 a lime and season with salt and pepper. Set aside or refrigerate for later use. Cilantro Cashew Butter will last for 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
Make the Salad
- In a small bowl, whisk together the juice of the other 1/2 of the lime with 1 tbsp of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Add the rough chopped kale and use your fingers to toss until well coated and shiny. Set aside for 5 minutes (or up to an hour).
- Spread a generous amount of Cilantro Cashew Butter on a serving plate. Top with kale, cubed avocado, and a handful of pepitas. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Too lazy to make the Cilantro Cashew Butter? Try Kale and Avocado Salad with Cashews which is the same salad but using cashews on top instead of the cashew butter base. Kale and Avocado Salad with Coconut Granola is another variation.
The Simple Lime Vinaigrette in Kale and Avocado Salad with Cilantro Cashew Butter is my go-to homemade dressing for pretty much any salad.
