Kale Salad with Spicy Peanut Dressing

Somehow 2 months have passed since I last posted. In my previous post, which you can view HERE, I gave an update on what life has been like for me under the shadow of Covid-19. Now that a full year has passed since the beginning of the pandemic, I would say I am somewhat less positive than I was in that blog post! Our last (3rd) lockdown almost did me in. We spent 6 weeks, confined to 1 km from our homes. That meant no beaches, no hiking, no take-away- let alone in person dining-, no gyms, no friends, no nothing! That was hard. Harder still because it really did not help bring down our number of infections, probably due to the faster spreading mutations. So it just felt discouraging and futile.

To help keep myself sane, I took up jumping rope. I had seen all sorts of amazing tutorials on Instagram and YouTube teaching fancy footwork and different jump rope skills and I thought "why not?". Every other day, I go to the playground across from my house so I can jump on the soft, padded, playground surface with all the little kiddos and their exhausted parents who stare at me with wonder and awe. I imagine I make quite the sight! You can see the Jump Rope Highlight on my Instagram account if you want to check my spectacle out for yourself. The challenge of learning new skills combined with the sheer joy of movement, have honestly become highlights of my lockdown life.

During this last lockdown, I have also had a stunning realization about food and my relationship to it. Don't worry, it's nothing about Veganism - I have no plans to ever be anything other than Vegan. It's more about dieting and the incredibly negative impact 40+ years of trying to make myself smaller has had on my life. This is a HUGE topic and one I am still turning over and over, but one day soon I promise I will write about it here. It will 100% affect my business and how I coach my clients. In the meantime, my Food Revelation/Revolution has reignited my daily journaling habit which is a wonderful side benefit to what is no less than a life-changing, but incredibly difficult, epiphany!

Aside from jumping rope and escaping diet culture, I guess the most important news is that I am now fully vaccinated and life is beginning to re-open here thanks to Israel's very successful vaccination campaign. Entrance to gyms, clubs, and entertainment venues is limited to only people who are vaccinated or have had corona and recovered. I am little skeptical of this plan and am more than a little concerned that mask-wearing and distancing are being ignored. As I understand it, even though we are all vaccinated, that does not mean that our risk of catching or spreading Covid, is zero. But none-the-less, I am delighted to be back in the gym and will continue to wear my own mask until some more time has passed.

As I mentioned in my last post, I am still cooking up a storm with all the extra time I have. I made myself this amazing protein-packed salad for lunch today. Colorful raw vegetables mixed with toasted cashews, edamame, and a spicy peanut dressing makes for a delicious, super healthy, and filling salad. I added some tofu and baked sweet potato that I had in the fridge to turn the salad into a full meal.

Kale Salad with Spicy Peanut Dressing

Serves 4-6

Salad:

1 bunch kale (about 150g), washed and chopped into bite-sized pieces

2 carrots, peeled into strips with a vegetable peeler

1 red pepper, thinly sliced

1 cup shelled edamame

4-5 scallions, chopped (optional)

1 handful of cilantro, minced (optional)

1/2 cup toasted cashews

1 small hot red pepper, sliced (optional)

Dressing:

3 Tablespoons peanut butter

2 Tablespoons hot water

1 teaspoon grated or crushed fresh ginger root

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon Sriracha or other hot sauce (optional)

2 Tablespoon agave or maple syrup

4 Tablespoon soy sauce

1 1/2 teaspoons vinegar (rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar)

1 teaspoon lime juice (optional)

Instructions:

1. Prep all the salad ingredients.

2. Place the kale only into a large bowl. Don't worry if it is a huge amount, it is going to shrink down.

3. Prepare the dressing: Put the peanut butter in a bowl and mix in the hot water to thin the peanut butter. Stir until smooth.

4. Add the remaining dressing ingredients and mix.

5. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your preference.

6. Pour the dressing over the kale, and with your hands, mix it all in. Really massage the kale with the dressing. This is going to soften the kale, making it easier and more pleasant to eat. It also significantly reduces its volume.

7. Add the remaining salad ingredients and toss to combine.

8. Enjoy!

I wish you all health and happiness until we meet here again.

Love,

Emily