Kale Salad with Avocado Lime Verjus Dressing, Trumpet Mushrooms, and Avocado from Dining at The Ravens
This is Jeff’s favorite salad. The ingredients are amazing, and the salad is filling. We stack the components in a cylindrical mold, but you can also push them into a large “bucket” glass used for cocktails, or a shallow wineglass to achieve the same shape.
This is not a “raw” dish: the mushrooms must be thoroughly cooked to remove any toxic elements and provide access to their health-promoting compounds. Cauliflower Ceviche (page 114 of the cookbook) can be substituted for the Mushroom Ceviche to qualify this salad as totally raw.
Makes 4–6 servings
Ingredients
For the Kale Salad and Avocado Lime Verjus Dressing
1 bunch (about 1/2 pound) kale, chiffonade (can substitute romaine lettuce)
1 teaspoon salt
2 ripe avocados, peeled and pitted
1/2 cup tightly packed cilantro
Juice of 1 lime
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons Verjus (Navarro Vineyards’ tart grape juice)
1 tablespoon brown rice vinegar
1 tablespoon agave syrup
1/4 cup raisins
For the Mushroom Ceviche and Assembly
4 cups trumpet royale mushrooms, cleaned and then sliced into rounds
1/4 cup water or Ravens All-Purpose Vegetable Stock (page 163 of the cookbook) or store-bought vegan broth
1 shallot, minced
1 jalapeño, seeded and minced (optional)
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
1 teaspoon salt
Juice of 2 lemons
Juice of 2 limes
Juice of 1 orange
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
Steps
For the Kale Salad and Avocado Lime Verjus Dressing
- Place chiffonade kale in a large bowl and sprinkle with salt.
- Massage the salt into kale leaves until they are well coated. This process will help break down the cell wall of the kale, making it tender. If using romaine lettuce, omit this step.
- Combine the avocados, cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper, Verjus, brown rice vinegar, and agave in a high-speed blender, and mix until completely smooth.
- Combine raisins and 2 tablespoons of the dressing with kale and set aside.
For the Mushroom Ceviche and Assembly
- Braise mushrooms over medium heat with 1/4 cup of water or vegetable stock to help prevent sticking. Stir occasionally until mushrooms are cooked through, about 10 minutes. Drain.
- Combine mushrooms, shallot, jalapeño, thyme, salt, and citrus juices in large bowl and mix until well combined.
- Let sit for at least 3 hours to incorporate flavors.
- For each salad, in a cylinder mold on a salad plate, insert about 3 inches of the massaged and dressed kale, pressing down firmly.
- Follow with a thin layer of the sautéed mushrooms.
- Finish with a layer of thinly sliced avocados fanned out on top.
- Remove mold. Garnish with the diced red bell peppers.
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