This vegan kale salad is topped with masala-spiced chickpeas, pickled onion, cucumber, bell peppers, naan ‘croutons,’ and mango turmeric tahini dressing. It’s delicious and satisfying!

It’s Thanksgiving Monday in Canada, and if you’re Canadian, I’m sure that your harvest celebration was decidedly untraditional this year, due to pandemic limits on social gatherings. My family and I all live in the same city right now, and we are in the same bubble, so the five of us were able to get together for dinner on Saturday. We made these harvest nachos for an appetizer, tofu “cutlets” with miso gravy, this autumn slaw, smashed potatoes, and sweet potato hazelnut casserole for dinner, and this gingerbread cake for dessert. My heart, and stomach, are still full of gratitude and very good food. I hope that you, too, were able to spend time with some of the people you love and care about this weekend, and that you enjoyed some delicious meals!

Naturally, even after a weekend of healthy feasting, my cravings veer towards the green foods category. (Funny aside: In grade nine, during our provincial cross country championship weekend in Sarnia, Ontario, during which we were eating at restaurants with nary a vegetable in sight, I absentmindedly told my teammates that I was “craving steamed broccoli” as we were falling asleep in our hotel room. Ha!)

This salad is perfect for easing your way back into healthier eating after a period of indulgence. It’s not scant or restrictive in the least, with plenty of flavour, protein, fibre, and healthy monounsaturated fat. But all the green goodness will most definitely make you feel amazing! It features a kale base that’s tossed with tahini, mango, and turmeric dressing, and topped with pickled onion, cucumber, chickpeas pan-fried in masala spices, cilantro, bell pepper, and naan chips! It involves a bit of effort, but the nice thing about it is that it’s almost satisfying enough to stand alone as a meal, especially when you serve it with a couple of eggs or baked tofu on the side.

INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED

FOR THE MASALA CHICKPEAS: Oil, chickpeas, sea salt, curry, coriander, turmeric, cayenne, and garlic powder.
FOR THE MANGO TURMERIC DRESSING: Tahini, freshly squeezed lemon juice, sea salt, turmeric, black pepper, chili flakes, garlic, mango, and water.
FOR THE NAAN CHIPS: Naan and olive oil.
FOR THE SALAD: Kale or spinach, cucumber, bell pepper, cilantro, and quick pickled onions (recipe included).

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS

Make the pickled onions (optional- you can also just use thinly sliced red onion if you don’t want to pickle them): In a small saucepan, bring water, apple cider, salt, and maple syrup to a low boil. Thinly slice a red onion and place it in a heatproof jar. Pour the liquid over top and set aside for at least 30 minutes.
Prepare the masala chickpeas: Warm the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Once warm, add the chickpeas. Cook, stirring occasionally, for five minutes. In a small dish, mix together the salt and spices. Sprinkle over the chickpeas and stir to coat. Cook five minutes more. Remove from the heat and set aside until ready to use.
Make the mango turmeric dressing: Combine the tahini, lemon juice, salt, turmeric, pepper, chili flakes, garlic, mango, and water in a blender. Blend until smooth and transfer into a jar until ready to use.
Make the naan chips: Slice the naan into triangles and arrange in an even layer, avoiding overlap, on one large or two smaller baking sheets. Lightly brush both sides with oil. Bake at 350 degrees F for 14-16 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Make the salad: If using kale, place it in a large bowl. Pour ½ cup (125 mL) of dressing over top and use your hands to massage it into the leaves. Add more dressing, if desired, reserving the rest for drizzling on top of individual salad portions. (The dressing actually makes double what you’ll need for the salad, but my opinion is that you can never go wrong with having a jar of sauce or dressing in the fridge at all times, and this one keeps for well over a week.) Add half of the cucumber, half of the bell pepper, and half of the chickpeas, reserving the other half for garnish at the end.
Transfer the salad to a large serving platter or salad bowl and top with the remaining chickpeas, cucumber, bell pepper, cilantro, and some pickled red onion. Drizzle with some more mango tahini turmeric dressing, and arrange the naan chips around the edges.

I hope that you love this masala chickpea kale salad! If you make it, let me know how you enjoyed it by leaving a comment and rating below the post. And if you share a photo on Instagram, be sure to tag @upbeet.kitchen and #upbeetkitchen.

Enjoy!