Rainbow Kale Salad

Ahhh yes. More cherries! And this time we're packing them into this crunchy + sweet Rainbow Kale Salad. It's all I want for lunch, for the rest of summer.

Curly kale for a Rainbow Kale Salad recipe | Edible Perspective

Can I tell you about my marble obsession in photos lately? I'm only about 4 years late to the game of using marble in food photos. By this time it's probably out of style, but I'm pretending otherwise. It has such a soft feel but at the same time makes food pop!

And moving this slab around in my kitchen is totally going to tone my upper body. It is HEAV-EE!

massaged kale for Rainbow Kale Salad | Edible Perspective

So, yah. Marble.

And kale salad!

I'm so 2011!

assembling the Rainbow Kale Salad with a simple lemon dressing | Edible Perspective

This salad packs a mean crunch but is also bursting with juice from the fresh blueberries and cherries. They're some of my favorite summer salad additions. The dressing is simple, tangy, and sweet!

You can hoard all for yourself for 2 days of lunch, or double the recipe and take it along to a cookout! 

Rainbow Kale Salad | Edible Perspective

Print Recipe!

Rainbow Kale Salad

gluten-free, vegan // yields 2-3 large servings

for the salad:

  • 1 bunch curly kale, stems removed  
  • 2 medium carrots, julienne
  • 1 large broccoli stem, outer layer peeled + julienne
  • 1 cup blueberries
  • 1 cup cherries, pitted + halved
  • 1/4 cup hulled hemp seeds

for the dressing:

  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (or hemp oil)
  • 1+ tablespoons pure maple syrup
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
  • pinch cayenne (optional)

Combine dressing ingredients in a jar and shake vigorously to combine. Use 1-2 tablespoons of maple syrup depending on your taste buds. This is supposed to be a sweet + tangy dressing. Refrigerate.

Chop the kale well and place in a bowl. Add about 1/2 of the dressing to the kale and massage into the leaves for about 1 minute. Place in the fridge for about 10 minutes to become tender.

Add remaining ingredients to the salad, toss with desired amount of dressing, and serve. Top with extra hemp seeds or fruit if desired.


Notes:

  • Red cabbage is a great addition to this salad. Somehow I forgot to add it in when I photographed it.
Rainbow Kale Salad recipe perfect for summer | Edible Perspective

Enjoy the long weekend + have a happy 4th of July! I hope it's extra delicious.

Ashley

Ginger Berry Anti-Inflammatory Smoothie

It's finally starting to feel like summer around here.

The temps are rising, the sun is out, and I'm eating berries at an alarming rate. Smoothies have also made a steady comeback into my weekly eats. All things that point to summer.

This post is sponsored by Earthbound Farm.

Anti-inflammatory Smoothie recipe with berries, pineapple, ginger, turmeric + more! | edibleperspective.com

I've recently been experimenting with packing smoothies full of anti-inflammatory ingredients. You may be wondering, why? No reason in particular, except for general well-being and to try something new. It's fairly well known that excessive + chronic inflammation in the body is not ideal for a variety of reasons. Excess inflammation can be triggered by a diet heavy in processed foods, refined sugars and carbohydrates, and trans fats. While I don't eat a strict, anti-inflammatory specific diet, I do strive to consume foods that fit into this category on a daily basis.

It seems appropriate during these warm, summer months that Earthbound Farm is celebrating smoothies. They're focusing on creating recipes that include spicy additions (not necessarily spicy-hot) you may not automatically think about adding to your daily mix. It's easy to overlook fresh and dried spices when making smoothies, but they can add an amazing pop of flavor and tons of healthy benefits. I really wanted to think outside the box for my contribution to their summer smoothie recipes, which is what spurred my interest in anti-inflammatory ingredients. 

Anti-inflammatory Smoothie recipe with turmeric + ginger | edibleperspective.com

I did quite a bit of ingredient research and a lot of experimenting in the kitchen to come up with today's smoothie recipe. This was the most challenging smoothie recipe I've ever tried to create. The first few were barely drinkable and definitely not share-worthy. I wanted to pack in as many of these anti-inflammatory ingredients as possible:

  • berries
  • ginger
  • basil
  • turmeric
  • chia seeds
  • pineapple
  • beets
  • walnuts
  • leafy greens
  • tart cherries
  • hemp seeds
  • avocado

Luckily, EBF's product lineup is filled with many of these anti-inflammatory foods, in fresh + frozen form. And with conventional produce like strawberries and spinach having some of the highest pesticide content loads you'll find, it's comforting knowing everything grown from Earthbound Farm is organic and non-GMO

Anti-inflammatory Smoothie Recipe with frozen berries, beets + more! | edibleperspective.com

And for this spiced summer smoothie, I went outside of my comfort zone and added frozen organic beets. If you know me, you know that I am not a fan of beets. However, I know they're incredibly healthy and full of anti-inflammatory properties, so I wanted to give them a chance.

Thanks to the berries, pineapple, and ginger, I was able to incorporate the beets without detection. I packed this smoothie with berries for their antioxidant powers and the pineapple for a nice boost of vitamin C. The avocado + chia seeds add healthy fats and staying power, to really help this smoothie stick with you all morning long. The avocado also adds a super creamy texture without the use of banana. I wanted all of the banana haters out there to be able to enjoy this smoothie, too! Turmeric and ginger are loaded with anti-inflammatory super powers, and ginger gives this smoothie a major kick of flavor + spice. I'm totally addicted.

Anti-inflammatory smoothie recipe with Earthbound Farm frozen fruit + beets | edibleperspective.com

Print Recipe!

Ginger Berry Beet Anti-Inflammatory Smoothie

gluten-free, vegan option // yields 1 large smoothie

  • 1+ cup non-dairy unsweetened milk
  • 1 cup frozen berry blend
  • 3/4 cup frozen pineapple
  • 1/4 cup frozen red beets
  • 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated turmeric
  • 1/4 small/medium avocado
  • 1 tablespoon chia seeds
  • 2 teaspoons raw honey (raw agave or pure maple syrup)

Place 1 cup of milk in your blender. Add all other ingredients. (If your berries are stuck together or there are large strawberries in your mix, try chopping them for easier blending.) Blend until smooth, adding more milk if needed. Taste and blend in more fruit/beets/avocado to your liking. 

Serve immediately, or store in a sealed bottle in the fridge for 24hrs (for the best flavor).

Anti-inflammatory Smoothie recipe with berries, beets, ginger + more! | edibleperspective.com

I like my smoothies super thick + served in a bowl with lots of toppings. How about you?

Ashley

Today’s post is sponsored by Earthbound Farm. Product opinions are always my own. If I didn’t love it, you wouldn’t hear about it.Thank you for supporting the occasional sponsored post that helps fund all the deliciousness + behind the scenes action you see here.