A Healthy, Whole30-Friendly Kale Caesar Salad
You know kale is good for you, right? This cruciferous vegetable—yep, it’s in the same family as other cancer-fighting veggies like broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage—is loaded with vitamins A, K, B6 and C, calcium, and potassium. Plus, it’s full of fiber, too. It’s just all around really really good for you. And when you toss it with a creamy, Whole30 Caesar dressing, and top it with perfect six-minute eggs, bacon and Parmesan-like macadamia nut “cheese” crumbles, it becomes ultra, ultra delicious, too. We can’t get enough of this hearty, healthy kale salad recipe, and we hope you love it, too!
Whole30 Caesar Dressing, You Say? Tell Me More!
Yep! So actually, classic Caesar salad dressing is nearly Whole30 compliant as-is. All that we’ve done is take out the Parmesan cheese that is sometimes included. The egg, which makes the dressing creamy, even adds a little protein to the dressing—bonus! And yes, the egg is raw. But raw eggs are actually quite safe these days. The risk of salmonella is very minimal—most chickens are vaccinated against salmonella, so any risk of getting it mostly comes from the egg shell, not what's inside. So, the key is to wash your egg thoroughly before cracking it. The bacon fat is optional, but adds a little extra something and since you’re cooking bacon anyway, you might as well use up the fat. Here’s what’s in our Caesar salad dressing recipe:
- Egg
- Olive oil
- Garlic clove
- Fresh lemon juice
- Anchovy paste
- Bacon fat
And What’s The Deal With These Nut Cheese Crumbles?
If you’re trying to stick to the Whole30, you aren’t supposed to have any dairy at all. But what’s a Caesar salad without Parmesan cheese?! We figure you still need to have that little hit of salty, textural goodness, even if you can’t have Parmesan, so we created these vegan macadamia nut “cheese” crumbles. They’re delicious on just about everything! You’ll just pulse the ingredients in a food processor and bake the crumbles until their a bit toasty. Here’s what’s in them:
- Macadamia nuts
- Nutritional yeast
- Garlic powder
- Olive oil
How To Make A Kale Caesar Salad
You’ll make your crumbles, you’ll fry some bacon, cut the kale—this healthy Caesar salad is all about the prep work. Here’s your plan of kale Caesar attack:
- Make the macadamia nut “cheese”. You can do this up to two weeks ahead of time—it’s a major make-ahead!
- Make your other toppings! Make some six-minute eggs—you could cook these at least a few days before you want to eat your salad—and fry up some bacon.
- Make the Whole30 Caesar dressing by mixing all of the dressing ingredients together using a blender or immersion blender. It’ll be thick and super creamy—yum!
- Massage the chopped, washed kale with a little spritz of salt and lemon juice using your hands. Just smash the kale until it’s nicely tenderized, or until you’ve achieved a texture that you’d be happy to eat. We usually massage it for at least five minutes.
- Toss the Caesar dressing with the kale until it’s nicely coated. Top with eggs, bacon and crumbles and then it’s time to feast!
More Plant-Based Whole30 Recipes To Try
Whole30 can feel like it’s just day after day of heavy, meaty meals, but it doesn’t have to be that way! Here are a few veggie-heavy—and even a few vegan—Whole30 recipes we lean on when we need to clean up our dietary act:
- Vegan Kale Salad With Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Curried Pumpkin Coconut Soup
- Tropical Kale Salad
- Loaded Sweet Potato with Chipotle Cashew Cream
Tools You’ll Need
- Food processor
- Blender or immersion blender
- Salad spinner is handy.
- Frying pan (for the bacon)
- Saucepan (for the eggs)
Keep Up The Great Work!
If you’re doing Whole30, or if you’re just trying to eat something healthy, good for you! Keep it up! We hope this healthy—but not at all compromising on flavor—kale Caesar salad helps you with your goals, and satisfies you, too. If you make it, let us know how you like it! Share a photo and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper so that we can see your stuff! Happy eating!
