April 25, 2011
(last updated January 27, 2020) 
Yikes. That was a highly alliterative title.
Thanks for the nice comments on my kabocha squash flatbread! I enjoyed some of it yet again with dinner tonight, and I can sure you that any recipe I repeat thrice in two weeks is worth making. Meanwhile, tonight’s recipe—a kelp and kale bowl with celery dressing—is worth making on different grounds. It’s healthy, hearty, and in spite of the fact that it’s an entirely raw dinner option, it feels entirely satisfying on its own grounds.
As I’m sure you’ve gathered from food photos and descriptions of my eating “style,” I often “round out” my raw meals with one cooked component: sometimes this is beans or hummus, sometimes a roast squash, sometimes sprouted grain bread. This isn’t because I don’t think that raw recipes stand alone as meals—a great many do—but I find that some others beg for a cooked item, either for satiety or to add protein.
Not this bowl of green. The idea began when I was in the mood for kelp noodles (one of my favorite foods; for info on where to order and find them, please check out this post). But kelp noodles, low in calories as they are, beg for either tremendous volume in the form of added veggies, or for some healthy fats or carbs—or both—in order to serve as a meal. I decided to beef up my bowl of noodles with a hefty portion of kale and broccoli, and I decided to marinate those veggies with a sauce of celery, dates, lemon, and nutritional yeast; the sauce is rich in heart healthy fats and has some protein from the nooch, which I like, but moreover it’s incredibly tasty. It reminds me of my zucchini dressing, except sweeter, and I think I may even prefer it!
By the time I was finished, I had a bowl full of nutrition: healthy fats from the flax/hemp oil, iodine and calcium from the kelp noodles, protein from the nooch, kale, and broccoli, and vitamins galore from the abundance of green. The tomatoes were a nice and last minute touch—I loved the freshness the lent to the dish—and a slice of my raw tomato bread was the perfect side dish to finish out the meal.
Kelp and Kale Bowl with Sweet Celery Dressing (raw, vegan, GF)
Serves 1
For the noodle bowl:
8 oz kelp noodles (about two portions by package directions), soaked in warm water and drained
3 cups raw kale, finely chopped
1 cup broccoli, chopped
1/2 cup cherry or regular tomatoes, chopped
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
For the sweet celery dressing:
Makes about 1 1/2 cups
4 large (or 6 average) stalks celery, chopped
4 pitted dates (5 if you really like things sweet!)
3-4 tbsp mellow white miso (adjust depending on how salty you like your dressings. You can also use barley miso if you’re sensitive to soy)
1/2 cup flax or hemp oil (I used the Vega EFA oil blend)
1/4 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed (I used a bit more, but I love tartness)
3/4 cup water
2 tbsp flax meal
1) To make the dressing, blend all ingredients in a high speed blender till smooth.
2) Massage about 3-4 tbsp of the dressing into the kale and broccoli with your hands. Dehydrate it at 115 degrees for about 30-40 minutes, till reduced and tender and warm.
3) Mix the kale and broccoli with the kelp noodles. Add the tomatoes, and then add another 2 tbsp of dressing and toss well. Top with nooch (or hemp seeds!) and enjoy.
If you’re dehydrator-less, you can a) steam the veggies for a moment and then dress them, or b) just go for an all raw approach; it’ll still be totally tasty!
I think the thing I like most about this dish is that it’s a terrific combo of noodle bowl and salad. Why choose between two great things? I’m actually excited to see how this salad/noodle bowl combo idea would work in cooked form, when I make it for M. Hmmm.
Hope you all had a nice start to the week. See you back here soon!
xo
This post may contain affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something I may earn a commission. Visit my privacy policy to learn more.
Leave a Comment
Wow. I have to admit, I was skeptical. Very skeptical, but having a head of celery cut into sticks in the fridge and having everything else in the dressing recipe (including the miso which I *love* finding uses for!) I wrote down the recipe roughly halved, meaning to try it – since, despite my skepticism, I was intrigued. Today I made the dressing, but kept it on the thick side so it would be more like a dip – and I LOVE it! Thank you! I consider myself a fairly creative cook, but never would have though of this combo and would love to hear where your inspiration came from for it. This is the first thing I’ve made off of your blog and I imagine I’ll be quite a bit less skeptical of such unusual combinations in the future! Thank you!
Wow this looks yummy! I always love a new kale recipe to add to the mix. I’m going to make this over the weekend.
We had kelp noodles last night 🙂 Love them!
This looks really delicious! Light, fresh, and filling. Just the way I like it!
Thanks so much for sharing this! I featured it in this article: http://www.greenwala.com/profiles/eco-vegan-gal/blog/15414-Wheatless-Wednesday-5-Live-Food-Recipes-for-Spring-Cleansing
This looks wonderful, I can’t wait to try the dressing. I rarely buy kelp noodles because they’re pricey, but this looks worth it. Thanks!
Two bags of kelp noodles in my fridge means I shall be making a version of this sometime soon. You’re always reading my mind when it comes to my cooking needs. Thank you!
whoa that dish is a mouthful! it’s been almost a month since i’ve had kale?! i’ve been rotating my greens and i think it’s due back in my life 🙂 when’s the semester end how are you hanging in there?
I need to work on getting some kale in my diet
Yum! This sounds really yummy 🙂
Never heard of kelp noodles before, next time I go to the market I will have to look for some.
Salads are always a big hit around here.
Gena — this looks so healthy and delicious! What a winning combination of foods!
Yum! I need more kelp in my life.
Thrice in two weeks is definitely a keeper recipe!
This bowl sounds so good, and so tangible to imagination: I can almost taste and palate it right now. And I like tartness too.
For folks that don’t have high-speed blenders, it might be helpful to de-string the celery before blending?
Yummm…
Gena…I have been absolutely loving your blog! (I found it only recently). I have to ask, where can I find kelp noodles without ordering them for a fortune online? Do “Asian markets” carry them? I have about 10 health-food stores in my small town, but I haven’t found them! 🙂
Thanks so much for all the inspiration.
I am a first timer to your site. I am currently 75% raw and working towards 85-90%. I am going to try this recipe tonight. I am very excited. Thanks!
what a beautiful, nutrient-dense recipe! yum.
Ok, you have convinced me! I need to buy kelp noodles stat! This looks amazing and I love any excuse to use my dehydrator in a new way. I’ll definitely be making this!
By the way, I loved your raw tomato bread. So did my omni husband. He was eating it all, so I hid it in the way back of the refrig. 😉
Still haven’t gotten myself any kelp noodles, but the dressing seems like a winner for any salad. Gonna give it a try very soon!
I am not into kelp noodles…it’s one of those blogosphere foods (along with dulse flakes and goji berries…lol) that I just never really got into. I tried to like them but they are too crunchy for me and the texture gets me. But…everything else in that bowl, I am all over it.
Love that you made dressing with dates and called it sweet. That makes my ears perk up 🙂
The raw tomato bread…need to get to work on more crackers and chips. After making coconut choc kale chips, I don’t know where to go…maybe right to your tomato bread recipe 🙂
I have kelp noodles in my cupboard. Just haven’t quite figure out how I want to use them. Of course, Kale perked my ears up — especially with a sweet dressing to go with a savory base. Looks fabulous!
I’ll have to find kelp noodles, this salad sounds so tasty!
That is one fascinating and ingenious dressing! I’ve grown up with homemade dressing but they’ve always simply been variations on vinegar and oil. I think I need to follow your lead and get more creative 🙂
It astounds me that you can be in the mood for kelp noodles 🙂 The only way I’ve ever really enjoyed them is stir-fried. It’s possible to get them a little crispy even! But I could get behind that celery dressing–yum!
That sounds good! I agree kelp noodles are not filling at all. So much so that I sort of wondered if they were worth the money. I love the idea of celery dressing because some of us can’t do too much raw zucchini. I’ll try this one out. Thanks.
The dressing is what’s intriguing me the most here. I love miso-based dressings, and I’m particularly fond of dates at the moment, so it’s sounds like a winning combination to me! I haven’t had a massaged kale salad in an embarrassingly long time. Although, I did have some steamed kale at my favorite vegan restaurant tonight! Real Food Daily! It will always be my favorite place, even though I’m not vegan anymore. If you haven’t already eaten there, you must go the next time you’re in LA! And I say MUST.
Sorry, I just have to correct a typo because it’s embarrassing. And because I’m neurotic.
*It sounds like a winning combination.
Not “it’s” sounds. Wow.
I really need to get on this whole kelp noodles thing. I think once I do get them, I’ll try out this recipe first. The fact that broccoli and kale are two of my loves (along with carrots, sweet potatoes, any kind of squash, and most greens. Romaine lettuce is like candy to me) probably doesn’t hurt.