Drizzled with a vegan buttermilk-style dressing, this Strawberry Kale Salad is the perfect light meal for swelteringly hot summer days. It’s makes a great lunch, but it’s also perfect for dinner.
Hot, Humid Days
It’s been hot here. The kind of sticky, humid hot that makes any kind of simple activity seem like a daunting task. I don’t want to do anything except sit very still and drink buckets of iced tea.
Cooking dinner is at the top of my “I don’t want to do” list. Even though I have air conditioning, turning on the oven or standing over the stove to make a hot meal doesn’t sound appealing to me at all. I don’t want to eat hot food, either. On these super hot days, I turn to raw foods and salads.
Strawberry Kale Salad
To keep my meals interesting, I’m always on the lookout for new salad recipes. I came across a dish made with baby kale, strawberries, and endives in a recent issue of The Food Network Magazine, and even though the dressing was loaded with dairy products, it looked good. I headed to the kitchen to tweak the salad and veganize the dressing. After some tinkering, dinner was ready. It was cool and refreshing, and I devoured it quickly.
Strawberry Kale Salad comes together quickly, and it makes a terrific lunch or light dinner. It’s great as a side dish or a main meal on days when you want something that’s not too heavy. If you’d like to add a little more oomph, toss in some chickpeas or white beans.

Strawberry Kale Salad
Drizzled with a vegan buttermilk-style dressing, this Strawberry Kale Salad is the perfect light meal for swelteringly hot summer days. It's makes a great lunch, but it's also perfect for dinner.
Ingredients
For the Dressing
- 1/2 cup almond or soy milk
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar divided
- 1/2 cup raw cashews soaked for two hours, rinse and drained
- 1 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tablespoons fresh chives chopped
For the Salad
- 5 ounces baby kale
- 1 pint strawberries sliced
- 3 endives sliced
- ¼ cup sunflower seeds roasted
Instructions
-
To make the dressing: Mix together 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar and non-dairy milk, and let sit for 10 minutes. It will curdle, which is what you want. Place the curdled milk in a blender along with the cashews, lemon juice, the remaining apple cider vinegar, mustard, sea salt, and garlic. Blend until smooth and creamy. If the dressing seems too thick, add water, a teaspoon at a time. Stir in the chopped chives.
-
To make the salad: Toss together the baby kale, strawberries, and endives in a large bowl. Drizzle on the dressing and top with the roasted sunflower seeds.
I love strawberries in my salad! Especially with the flavors in that dressing. Looks like a great summer dinner!
Thank you, Sophia!
What a gorgeous bowl of deliciousness. Love the sound of strawberries in there. Has all of my faves – yay!
Thank you, Trinity!
I love that your recipe for Strawberry Kale Salad is different than mine so I have yet another option! What a great summer meal.
Hah! I didn’t even realize you had one! It’s a yummy combination!
This looks so light and refreshing. I’d make a meal out of this with a loaf of crusty bread and a glass of rose. 😉
That sounds so good, Linda!
This is such a lovely salad. I’ve done strawberry spinach, but never strawberry kale. May have to try this one for the extra nutrients!
Thank you, Alisa!