Kale Power Salad with Spicy Almond Dressing

February 2, 2022
(last updated May 9, 2022)
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This vegan kale power salad is so satisfying and loaded with flavour. Kale is topped with tender roasted sweet potatoes, crispy baked tofu bits, avocado, and red onion. A super creamy spicy almond dressing that you’ll want to drizzle on everything finishes it off.

An overhead shot of a kale salad with creamy dressing on top, crispy bits of tofu, chunks of roasted sweet potato, slices of red onion, and cubes of avocado. The salad is in a white bowl.
An overhead, up close shot of a kale salad with creamy dressing on top, crispy bits of tofu, chunks of roasted sweet potato, slices of red onion, and cubes of avocado. The salad is in a white bowl.
An overhead shot of ingredients used in a vegan kale power salad, featuring sweet potatoes, tofu, and avocado among other ingredients.
An overhead shot of two bowls on a parchment lined baking sheet. In one bowl is cubed sweet potatoes and spices. In the other is crumbled firm tofu and spices.

I have been eating a version of this kale power salad on repeat for weeks now. Something about the tender sweet potatoes, the spice-crusted crispy bits of tofu, avocado, and red onion mingling with that spicy almond dressing. So many flavours and textures that are extra good when you get them all in one bite.

This looks like a ton of ingredients, but a lot of them are pantry items that I bet you already have on hand. We’re talking spices, nutritional yeast, arrowroot powder, cornmeal, Dijon mustard, maple syrup, olive oil, Tamari soy sauce, and white wine vinegar. A lot of my go-to’s! In terms of prep, we blend the dressing, roast the sweet potatoes and tofu, massage the kale in some olive oil and lime juice, and then assemble.

The dressing is truly the real winner of this recipe though. It’s spicy, tangy, savoury, creamy, and so delicious. I make a double batch and use it on grain bowls, to finish tacos, drizzled over crispy air fried broccoli, as a dip for fresh veg, and all kinds of salads.

Some Tips for Making This Kale Power Salad:

  • You can substitute raw sunflower seeds or cashews for the almonds. 
  • I go up to about 1 tablespoon of hot sauce total in my dressing. I like the zing and the hot sauce that I typically use for things like this (Cholula) isn’t overly hot. 
  • If you’re using coconut aminos in place of the Tamari, I would double the amount to 2 teaspoons. 
  • You can substitute cornstarch for the arrowroot.
  • Use the biggest baking sheet you’ve got for the sweet potatoes and tofu. You want to give each piece as much space as you can!
  • You will find yourself wanting to put this dressing on everything. I double up on this one.

If you’re a fan of this salad, you’ll probably love my Apple Kale Salad with Miso Mustard Dressing or my Vegan Kale Cobb Salad. You might also like this roundup of Sweet Potato Recipes.

An overhead shot of a hand using a spoon to stir up a creamy, light orange sauce in a grey bowl.
An overhead shot of crispy roasted tofu bits and cubes of sweet potato.
A hand is seen sprinkling crispy little bits of tofu over the top of a kale salad in a white bowl.
An overhead, up close shot of a kale salad with a hand using a spoon to drizzle a creamy dressing on top. The salad also features crispy bits of tofu, chunks of roasted sweet potato, slices of red onion, and cubes of avocado. The salad is in a white bowl.
An overhead shot of a kale salad with creamy dressing on top, crispy bits of tofu, chunks of roasted sweet potato, slices of red onion, and cubes of avocado. The salad is in a white bowl.
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5 from 34 votes

Kale Power Salad with Spicy Almond Dressing

This vegan kale power salad is so satisfying and loaded with flavour. Kale is topped with tender roasted sweet potatoes, crispy baked tofu bits, avocado, red onion, and a super creamy spicy almond dressing that you'll want to drizzle on everything!
PREP TIME20 mins
COOK TIME35 mins
TOTAL TIME55 mins
Course Main Course, Salad, Side Dish
Diet Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Servings: 4 -6
Author: Laura Wright

Equipment

Ingredients

Spicy Almond Dressing

  • ½ cup sliced almonds, soaked for 1 hour and drained
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
  • ¼ cup water
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon Tamari
  • 1 teaspoon maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1-2 teaspoons hot sauce of choice, or to taste
  • sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Kale Power Salad

  • 2 teaspoons nutritional yeast
  • 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1 ½ teaspoons onion powder
  • 1 ½ teaspoons sweet paprika
  • 1 ½ teaspoons chili powder
  • 2 medium sweet potatoes (about 500 grams), peeled and diced into 2-inch pieces
  • 1 350 gram block firm OR extra firm tofu, drained and torn into little pieces
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
  • 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
  • 2 tablespoons cornmeal
  • 6 cups chopped kale, lightly packed
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon maple syrup
  • 1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted and chopped
  • 1 small red onion, sliced thin
  • ¼ cup toasted sliced almonds

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Make the spicy almond dressing. In an upright blender, combine the almonds, garlic, nutritional yeast, water, olive oil, white wine vinegar, lime juice, Tamari, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, hot sauce, salt, and pepper. Blend the mixture on high until smooth and creamy. If it's a little thick and pasty, just add a big splash of water and blend it again. Taste the dressing and check for seasoning, adjust if necessary, and set aside.
  • In a small bowl, make a little spice blend: stir together the nutritional yeast, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and chili powder. Set out two medium bowls. Place the chopped sweet potatoes in one of the bowls and the tofu pieces in the other. Using a clean kitchen towel, really do your best to blot all moisture from the tofu.
  • Divide the spice blend evenly amongst the sweet potatoes and tofu. Drizzle both the sweet potatoes and the tofu with 1 ½ tablespoons of olive oil. Season both with salt and pepper. To the tofu only, add the arrowroot and cornmeal. Toss the sweet potatoes until evenly coated. Then, using a spatula, toss the tofu bits until evenly coated.
  • Spread the sweet potatoes and tofu out on opposite sides of the baking sheet. Give each piece as much space as you can. Pop the baking sheet into the oven and roast for 35 minutes, stirring and flipping the pieces at the halfway point. At the end of the roasting, the sweet potatoes should be tender and the tofu bits should be crunchy on the outside.
  • In a large bowl, combine the kale, remaining tablespoon of olive oil, lime juice, maple syrup, salt, and pepper. Use your hands to massage the kale until it’s slightly tenderized, about 1 minute.
  • Drizzle the top of the kale with some of the spicy almond dressing. Then top with roasted sweet potatoes, crispy spiced tofu bits, avocado, and red onion. Drizzle more of the dressing on top. Finish the salad with the toasted sliced almonds. Enjoy immediately.

Notes

  • You can substitute raw sunflower seeds or cashews for the almonds. 
  • I go up to about 1 tablespoon of hot sauce total in my dressing. I like the zing and the hot sauce that I typically use for things like this (Cholula) isn’t overly hot. 
  • If you’re using coconut aminos in place of the Tamari, I would double the amount to 2 teaspoons. 
  • You can substitute cornstarch for the arrowroot.
  • Use the biggest baking sheet you’ve got for the sweet potatoes and tofu. You want to give each piece as much space as you can!
A 3/4 angle shot of a kale salad with creamy dressing on top, crispy bits of tofu, chunks of roasted sweet potato, slices of red onion, and cubes of avocado. The salad is in a white bowl.
Posted in autumn, creamy, gluten free, main course, roasted, salad, salty, side dish, spicy, spring, summer, umami, vegan, winter
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