Receta Green Green Salad for the Fourth of July
Kale, Snap Pea, Bean Sprout Salad
Yes, it's the seventh of July and I haven't posted anything since the third. I'm late in posting, well, anything because of our Fourth of July festivities at the beach. Instead of staring at a computer, holed up inside, (or at the beach... I actually brought one with the greatest of blog-intentions) I was busy filling water balloons, flying kites, chasing after water balloon wielding four year-olds, chasing after BBQ lighter wielding thirty-one plus year olds, dodging Abby Smash's lil' kid fest and other such fun and random things.
You may be wondering someting else: what does a green salad have to do with the fourth of July? Good question; a question posed by my ever so sharp and intelligent mother when I proudly announced I was making a green salad for the fourth of July. That is it's name by the way... Green Salad for the Fourth of July. If you make it, keep that in mind. So my mother poses this intuitive question and I say, 'absolutely nothing... that's the point!' I felt really clever when I decided to make a green salad for the fourth of July. Hey, it's the little things in life that bring me pleasure... cut me some slack :) And by the way, my fantastical mother did laugh about my proud statement and 'ingenius' idea. She also did not call it ingenius; I made that part up.
Ok, so on to this fantastical green salad; super easy to make and the cool part is, it lasts forever!! Not because no one wants to eat it (it's delicious!) but because it has kale and other such hearty veg that withstands the 'toll' of dressing. I made it on the third of July and we ate it on the third, fourth, fifth and then polished it off on the sixth. Good stuff.
Need:
- 1 bunch kale, leaves only and chopped
- 1 bunch flat parsley, stems off and chopped
- 1 walla walla sweet onion, chopped
- About 3 cups sugar snap peas, de-ended and cut into thirds
- About 1 cup slivered almonds
- 1 pkg (about 1 cup) 3 bean sprout mix
- For the dressing:
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic OR 1 Tablespoon garlic paste
- 1 Tablespoon hot pepper paste
- 3 Tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Do:
In a shakeable jar, combine all ingredients for dressing. Close the lid and shake the heck out of it. Keep it close by as you prepare the salad and give it a good shake every now and then. I like to make my dressing first for two reasons: 1. The ingredients can get to know each other, making a more rich flavor and 2. I can continue to shake it while I make the rest of the salad.
Chop your parsley (remove stems first) and walla walla sweet onion and add them to the bowl of kale. To that, add your chopped sugar snap peas. Note: cut the ends off the sugar snap peas before you cut them into thirds.
Shake your dressing one more time then add it to the mix in the bowl. Using a fork or whatever you toss with, make sure the dressing is covering everything in the bowl and is evenly distributed.
From there, add the almonds and 3 bean mix (found in the refrigerated section next to the bagged salads and prepared dressing... that's where it is in my store at least). I like to add the almonds and three bean mix last because it is heavy and has a tendency to fall to the bottom of the bowl. This will happen; just make sure that before serving, you have scooped the contents of the bottom out and to the top.
Also, you will want to cover and put this salad in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving. You don't absolutely have to but it will give the kale a chance to soften a bit.
Serve:
Because we were having a party, we just served it family style. You can also serve it in a little bowl or on a plate. Goes well with everything!
Enjoy!