Kale & Beet Salad

Kale & Beet Salad 💜 My go-to nourishing, cancer-supportive salad. Beets are a deeply nutritious food, rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytonutrients that support digestion, aid natural detoxification pathways, and help calm inflammation. Kale—another nutrient-dense cruciferous vegetable—contains sulforaphane, a compound studied for its potential to help protect cells and support healthy cell function. Black beans add a hearty boost of plant-based protein, making this salad both satisfying and sustaining. And then there’s the joy: I love using my grandkids’ cookie cutters to turn beets and cucumbers into little flowers. It makes the salad feel extra special. Those cookie cutters bring back the sweetest memories of tiny hands at work—and now, watching them shape the veggies for my salads, the joy feels just the same. 

Kale & Beet Salad 

Kale & Beet Salad 

Ingredients: 

4 small or medium beets, trimmed and scrubbed 

1 bunch kale, washed, tough stems removed

1 cucumber, peeled

1 & 1/2 cups cooked black beans 

1/4 cup walnuts, or other nut

1/2 red onion, sliced in thin strips 

Avocado Dressing:

1 small ripe avocado, peeled and pitted 

2 garlic cloves, minced 

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley 

1 tablespoon nutritional yeast 

1 lemon, juiced 

2 tablespoons rice vinegar 

1 scallion, coarsely chopped 

1 teaspoon dried tarragon 

Salad Directions: 

Steam beets or roast in oven at 425 degrees for 40 minutes or until tender.  Slice or quarter the beets and transfer to a large bowl.  Finely chop the kale and add to the bowl.  Add the black beans, chopped cucumber, thinly sliced red onions, and walnuts.  Toss gently to combine.  When ready to serve, toss the salad with as much of the dressing as desired. 

Dressing Directions: 

In a blender or food processor, combine all the ingredients for the dressing and blend well.  If the dressing is too thick for your liking, add up to 1/3 cup of water and blend.  Taste to adjust the seasonings.