Kale & Carrot Salad (New Seasons Copycat)

Name: Kale & Carrot Salad
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: ¾ pound fresh kale; ½ pound carrots (peeled and coarsely grated, or julienned); ½ cup raw sunflower seeds; 2 tablespoons tamari (or light soy sauce); 2 tablespoons seasoned rice wine vinegar; 2 tablespoons sesame oil; 1 teaspoon fresh ginger (minced, or more); ½ teaspoon ground cumin (scant); ¼ teaspoon cayenne (scant, or ½ t. Sriracha); 2-3 cloves garlic (minced)

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Kale, carrots, sunflower seeds, and fresh ginger combine to create this bright, delicious, umami-forward Kale & Carrot Salad.

Plated kale and carrot salad. White plate, with fork.

What's the Story Behind this Recipe?

Our local New Seasons stocks this tasty, sunflower-studded Kale & Carrot Salad in the Grab-n-Go case. On more than one occasion, we have paid ten-fold for what basically amounts to a handful of kale; just to enjoy the sweet umami flavors and satisfying crunch of this salad.

New Seasons shares what they claim is their recipe for Kale & Carrot Salad on their website; however, when we tried it, we all agreed it didn't taste like the salad at our local store at all. Maybe the cooks at our local store doctor the company recipe a little, or use an earlier version: who knows? Anyway, we ended up making a few small but important adjustments to the ingredient list.

The biggest change we made to the original recipe, however, wasn't so much related to the What as the How.

We added one small but vital step to the process: we blanch the kale first. As far as I'm concerned, when it comes to kale salads, blanching makes all the difference! (Broccoli salads, too.)

Our Kale & Carrot Salad copycat recipe comes darn close to the original, and it got rave reviews from both Mr. B and Gramma Edith (RIP), so it's a keeper! Enjoy!

What Goes into this Recipe

The ingredients for this salad are all pretty straight-forward. We don't recommend making any ingredients substitutions.

kale and carrot salad ingredients of wooden cutting board.

How to Make this Salad

Blanche the Kale

Using a sharp knife, remove tough center stems from kale. This is easier to do if you fold the leaves in half first. Discard stems.

Small pairing knife setting by raw kales, stems removed and to the side.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high medium-heat.

While the pot is coming to a boil, fill a large mixing bowl halfway with ice. Add water up to the ice line.

Put the cleaned kale into the boiling water for 1 minute. (Use a timer. You want the kale to relax, but you don't want it to become limp.) Drain kale in colander.

Immediately plunge kale into prepared ice-water bath.Drain kale in colander again. Squeeze kale to remove excess water.

Drain kale in colander again. Squeeze kale to remove excess water.

4-panel collage; kale in large pot of water, in colander, in ice bath, and squeezed out

Mix the Salad

While the kale is still in a kind of wet wad, take a large kitchen knife and slice it into small, thin pieces.

Wet, blanched kale on chopping board with knife.

Put cut kale into a bowl and separate the pieces using your fingers. Add grated carrots and sunflower seeds.

Shredded carrots, sunflower seeds, kale, and other ingredients in large glass bowl, unmixed.

In a small bowl, combine remaining ingredients and stir vigorously to combine. Immediately pour dressing mixture over kale mixture. Toss thoroughly to combine.

Serve immediately or refrigerate.

FAQs & Expert Tips

What does it mean to blanch vegetables?

Blanching is the quick, simple food prep technique in which food (most often vegetables of some kind) are flash cooked in boiling water, and then immediately plunged into an ice bath to stop the cooking process.

Depending on the food being blanched, the technique may be used for different reasons: to soften vegetables, to relax fibers, to make peeling easier, or to brighten the color. Blanching times differ depending on the recipe, but usually fall between 30 seconds and 2 minutes.

In the case of kale, a 1-minute blanching helps soften the tough fibers and makes it easier to chew. It also makes the natural kale flavor more accessible, thus making it more far more palatable.

How long does kale & carrot salad stay good?

This salad keeps remarkably well, and will last up to a week in the refrigerator. It also travels well, making it perfect for a barbecue or picnic!

Large glass bowl on wooden cutting board, holding kale salad.

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5 from 2 votes

Kale & Carrot Salad

Kale, carrots, sunflower seeds, and fresh ginger combine to create this bright, delicious, satisfying copycat of New Seasons' popular Kale & Carrot Salad.

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Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Prep Time:20 minutes

Total Time:20 minutes

Servings: servings

Calories: 114kcal

Author: Renee

Equipment

1 Colander
1 stockpot
1 paring knife

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

¾ pound fresh kale
½ pound carrots peeled and coarsely grated, or julienned
½ cup raw sunflower seeds
2 tablespoons tamari or light soy sauce
2 tablespoons seasoned rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon fresh ginger minced, or more
½ teaspoon ground cumin scant
¼ teaspoon cayenne scant, or ½ t. Sriracha
2-3 cloves garlic minced

Instructions

Blanch the Kale

Using a sharp knife, remove tough center stems from kale. This is easier to do if you fold the leaves in half first. Discard stems.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high medium-heat.
While the pot is coming to a boil, fill a large mixing bowl halfway with ice. Add water up to the ice line.
Put the cleaned kale into the boiling water for 1 minute. (Use a timer. You want the kale to relax, but you don't want it to become limp.)
Drain kale in colander.
Immediately plunge kale into prepared ice-water bath.
Drain kale in colander again. Squeeze kale to remove excess water.

Make the Salad

While the kale is still in a kind of wet wad, take a large kitchen knife and slice it into small, thin pieces.
Put cut kale into a large bowl and separate the pieces using your fingers.
Add grated carrots and sunflower seeds.
In a small bowl, combine remaining ingredients and stir vigorously to combine.
Immediately pour dressing mixture over kale mixture. Toss thoroughly to combine.
Serve immediately or refrigerate.

Notes

Blanching is the quick, simple food prep technique in which food (most often vegetables of some kind) are flash cooked in boiling water, and then immediately plunged into an ice bath to stop the cooking process.

In the case of kale, a 1-minute blanching helps soften the tough fibers and makes it easier to chew. It also makes the natural kale flavor more accessible, thus making it more far more palatable.

This salad keeps remarkably well, and will last up to a week in the refrigerator. It also travels well, making it perfect for a barbecue or picnic!

Nutrition

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.

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Originally published January 22, 2015