Barley Free Cilantro-Lime Kale and Avocado Salad
Bright, zesty, and loaded with texture, this kale and avocado salad is the kind of bowl that makes you genuinely excited about eating your greens. The trick is in the massage — working salt into the raw kale for a few minutes transforms it from tough and bitter into something tender and almost silky, ready to soak up every drop of that cilantro-lime dressing. Speaking of the dressing, it's a punchy blend of fresh lime juice, olive oil, garlic, honey, and cumin that comes together in minutes and tastes like it took much longer. Creamy diced avocado, crisp cucumber, juicy cherry tomatoes, and sharp red onion round out the bowl with color and crunch. Toasted pepitas add a nutty, slightly smoky finish that ties everything together beautifully. Every single ingredient here is naturally free of grains, so there's no need to scrutinize labels or swap anything out — it just works as written. This one is equally at home as a light lunch on its own or as a vibrant side alongside grilled proteins.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the salad
- 1 large bunch curly or lacinato kale (about 8 oz), stems removed, leaves torn into bite-sized pieces
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- 2 ripe avocados, pitted, peeled, and diced
- 1 english cucumber, halved lengthwise and sliced into half-moons
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- ¼ cup red onion, thinly sliced
- ⅓ cup raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
For the dressing
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp fresh lime juice (from about 2 limes)
- ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- 1 tsp honey
- ¼ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Place the torn kale leaves in a large mixing bowl and sprinkle with 1/4 tsp salt. Using clean hands, massage the kale firmly for 2–3 minutes until the leaves darken, soften noticeably, and reduce in volume by about half.
- 2
In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, cilantro, garlic, honey, cumin, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes, if using, until the dressing is well combined and slightly emulsified.
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