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Last Updated on October 22, 2025 by Tiffany
This spicy kale salad with a cayenne tahini dressing is so damn good! Not only is it packed with plant based protein, it also contains a great amount of iron and straight up tastes delicious!
This spicy kale salad is the absolute BOMB! I got the inspiration and muse for it after eating at a popular restaurant in Atlanta Georgia called Tassili’s raw vegan reality. They have incredible high raw spicy kale salads and kale wraps!
I decided to make my own Ital and Tiffany twist on the spicy kale wrap, but making it high protein (nearly 40 grams) and almost alkaline!
The creamy tahini dressing is full of iron and healthy fats as well as packed with plant based protein!
Why You’ll love this salad
It’s PACKED with protein! One serving has about 34 grams of protein so it keeps me full for HOURS.
The dressing is super flavorful. No more boring, drab salads that taste like tears and grass. This salad is made with love and has so much flavor in every single bite!
Packed with nutrients. This tahini based dressing is high in iron so it’s especially amazing for women during their cycles.
Meal Prep Friendly. I love making this recipe in advance and eating it for days to come! It’s a great, tasty, and easy way to make sure I’m getting my greens in every day.
How to make Spicy Kale Salad
Step One:
Get your cooked green lentils and pour on the seasonings and oil. Place this in your air fryer for 12-15 minutes (until crispy) or in your oven on 400 for 15-25 minutes flipping halfway.
Step Two:
Combine your quinoa, veggie broth, salt and seasonings and allow that to cook on medium heat for the next 15 minutes. While that is cooking, chop up half of a red onion and half an apple very fine.
Step Three:
In a large bowl, combine the tahini, lemon juice, maple syrup, water, and dried seasonings and mix until a slightly thick paste has formed. **Make sure to slowly pour in the water, you may want to use a tiny bit less than 1/3 cup.
Once the dressing is ready, pour about 1/2 out into a cup/jar and save for later. Now, place your kale into the large bowl and massage for about 1 minute. This helps to make the kale more easily digestible and make it taste so much better too.
Go ahead and add in the chopped red onion and apple and stir to combine everything.
Step Four:
Once the quinoa and crispy lentils are cooked, add all the ingredients onto a plate/bowl how you see fit. Drizzle over the other reserved 1/2 of the dressing, and optionally sprinkle on some sesame seeds and enjoy!
Important notes for Spicy Kale Salad
You absolutely NEED to massage your kale! Not only does this make the cruciferous green much easier to digest, it also makes it taste ten times better! Do not skip this step!!
Feel free to add more or less cayenne to your desired taste.
How to store Spicy kale salad
This spicy kale salad can remain fresh in the fridge for up to 5 days so it’s perfect for meal prep! If you want to make it last longer, store the kale and dressing separately and massage and combine once you’re ready.
To keep the lentils and quinoa fresh, store in separate containers and add everything together once you’re ready.
Did you enjoy this recipe? Sharing is caring! Be sure to share with family and friends and save to your Pinterest board for later.
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Spicy Kale Salad
Ingredients
Cayenne Tahini Dressing
- 1/4 Cup Tahini
- 1 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 2 Teaspoon Maple Syrup or agave
- 1/2 Teaspoon Paprika Powder
- 1/2 Lemon squeezed, big
- 1 Teaspoon Dried Oregano
- 2 Teaspoons Nutritional Yeast if you exclude this, it will change the overall flavor so try to find it!
- 1/3 Cup Water
- Salt to taste
- 5 cups Kale packed
- 1/2 Red Onion Finely Chopped
- 1/2 Apple Finely chopped
Seasoned Quinoa
- 1/2 Cup Quinoa measured dry
- 1 Cup Vegetable Broth or water
- 1 Teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1/8 Teaspoon Black Pepper
- Salt to taste
Crispy Lentils
- 1 Cup Cooked Green Lentils
- 1 Teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon Paprika
- 1 Teaspoon Poultry seasoning don't worry, there's no chicken in this!
- 1/2 Dried Oregano
- Salt to taste
- 3 Teaspoons Oil
Instructions
- Get your cooked green lentils and pour on the seasonings and oil. Place this in your air fryer for 12-15 minutes or in your oven on 400 for 15-25 minutes flipping halfway.
- Wash your quinoa throughly. Now combine with the veggie broth, salt and seasonings and allow that to cook on medium heat for the next 15 minutes. While that is cooking, chop up half of a red onion and half an apple very fine.
- In a large bowl, combine the tahini, lemon juice, maple syrup, water, and dried seasonings and mix until a slightly thick paste has formed. **Make sure to slowly pour in the water, you may want to use a tiny bit less than 1/3 cup. Once the dressing is ready, pour about 1/2 out into a cup/jar and save for later. Now, place your kale into the large bowl and massage for about 1 minute. This helps to make the kale more easily digestible and make it taste so much better too. Go ahead and add in the chopped red onion and apple and stir to combine everything.
- Once the quinoa and crispy lentils are cooked, add all the ingredients onto a plate/bowl how you see fit. Drizzle over the other reserved 1/2 of the dressing, and optionally sprinkle on some sesame seeds and enjoy!
Notes
- The Tahini dressing uses all powdered seasoning to keep it easy to make and stress free with no chopping or blending!
