A salad for BBQ lovers! Homemade ranch dressing tossed with kale, tomatoes, corn, and avocado with chewy BBQ tofu nuggets. A must-try! Gluten-free and vegan.
I’m ready for salad season! That’s true whether we’re talking about this ranch kale salad or my other favorites (looking at you, Italian chopped salad and southwestern quinoa salad).
As a registered dietitian, I advocate for meal-worthy salads. Salads that not only load up the vegetables but also contain plenty of satisfying protein and fat. Salads can be incredibly satisfying and filling as long as they contain these ingredients. Texture matters too, a point I drill home whenever I talk about my house salad.
This ranch kale salad has got it all– major flavor and plenty of protein and fiber to keep you satisfied for hours. It’s a delicious twist on kale salad and perfect for summer. Here’s how to make it.
This one comes together easily with a few ingredients.
The BBQ tofu cubes are so great in this salad. If you want to make this salad quickly, you can forgo baking the tofu cubes first if you’d like. It won’t be as chewy as baking and then marinating, but they will still taste great.
This is key to the flavor of the salad! Homemade dressing tastes so much better than bottled and is a must in my opinion. It’s also so simple to make! All you need is mayo or unsweetened greek yogurt of choice, milk, and some spices.
If you haven’t yet made your BBQ tofu, now is the time.
For tender, perfect kale leaves, add a little dressing to the chopped kale and then rub the dressing in, using your hands to massage as much of the kale as possible until it’s broken down.
Toss everything together, season to taste and enjoy!
I’m partial to Tuscan kale in this salad as I think it has the best flavor of any kale, but any will work. The key is to massage the kale leaves with the dressing to create a tender salad. If you’ve had kale salad before and don’t think you like it, try this technique!
If you make this recipe, make sure to come back to leave a rating and a comment! Your feedback helps other readers and seeing you make my recipes, makes my day!
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A salad for BBQ lovers! Homemade ranch dressing tossed with kale, tomatoes, corn and avocado with chewy BBQ tofu nuggets. A must-try! Gluten-free and vegan.
Ranch Dressing
For the Kale Salad:
*I prefer Tuscan kale for kale salads, but any kale works. To finely chop– I remove the stems and then lay the leaves on top of one another. Roll tightly, then finely chop into thin ribbons. Then chop again.
*For the corn kernels, I really like Trader Joe’s fire-roasted frozen corn kernels, which I quickly warm. Fresh corn kernels will also work, either raw or cooked.
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