Roasted Steak-y Mushroom Kale Salad
This plant-based, vegan, Steak-y Mushroom Kale Salad is a dish that reminds me of a meal I enjoyed as a child. On Sunday afternoons, we often ate at a restaurant that served mushrooms that were out of this world. My dad liked to eat there for the steak. But for me, it was ALL about those juicy mushrooms. Yep, I was that kid.
Along with the mushrooms I ordered a huge baked potato and a side salad. My dressing choice was always blue cheese dressing because I liked to have the same dressing as my Dad. Just thinking about that combination of flavors as I write this post makes my mouth water. The earthy mushrooms, tangy blue cheese, and warm baked potato together envelope some of my best childhood, going out to Sunday dinner, memories. That’s why I know I have to share a dish that brings those savory flavors together again in a one hundred percent, plant-based, and dairy-free, recipe.
I suggest roasting the mushrooms in the oven, folded inside a packet of foil to steam in their lovely juices. The pouch method allows you to keep every drop of broth that cooks out of them. Believe me when I say that you do not want to skip this method of mushroom roasting. The portabella mushroom broth that you get once they steam in the foil pouch is like a nectar of the Gods.
And while the mushrooms are working their broth making magic, the potatoes dressed in “aquafaba” roast uncovered, spread across a simple sheet pan. Roasting is a terrific oil-free method to ensure a nice bit of texture and flavor from the potatoes. To me, roasting is as tasty or tastier than frying. Yep, I’m THAT girl, and I stand tall next to that claim. Once you start cooking with little or no oil, you won’t want to go back to fatty methods of food prep.
For the salad portion of this walk down memory lane, I went for the intensely foresty green stuff, kale.
Why is Kale SO Important in this Steak-y Vegan Mushroom Kale Salad Recipe?
When you browse through my recipes, you may gather that I tend to favor kale. As this website reveals, I use kale whenever possible. Kale and I are tight. It’s good to me, so I give it all sorts of good press. And when an opportunity presents itself, as it does for its performance in this recipe for Roasted Steak-y Mushroom Kale Salad, I give kale a shout out, “Kale yeah!”
Here are a few fantastic nutritional facts about my curly leafed green friend, kale:
- Kale is low in calories, high in fiber and has zero fat.
- It’s high in Vitamins A, C, and K.
- Kale is full of powerful antioxidants.
- It’s a terrific anti-inflammatory food.
- Kale supports heart health.
- It’s high in calcium.
- Kale is a fantastic detox food.
If after all of my kale cheering you’re still on the fence regarding your opinion about my favored veggie, I encourage you to read more about kale in this helpful article.
Here are the flavors you’ll experience when you take a bite of Roasted Steak-y Mushroom Kale Salad. The ingredients have depth, and there’s an earthiness that comes at you from on all sorts of levels. Starting with the chewy texture of the kale and going through all the way to the seedy notes from the tahini in the dressing, this salad will provoke oohs and ahs as you eagerly take bite after bite. The mushrooms squirt their juices when bitten, so similar to a piece of steak that it’s almost alarming. The red onion is a delightful crunch bringing a welcomed gentle heat. The roasted chickpeas add an even scattering of spice throughout your bowl. And finally, the potatoes provide a creamy mellowness that tastes mildly sweet, thanks to the slightest carmelizing from roasting.
Finally, if I had to pick one new salad creation to call my favorite palate pleaser; this one would be it.
For me, Roasted Steak-y Mushroom Kale Salad is a trip down memory lane. For you, I hope it’s a meal you’ll choose to experience again and again.
Happy eating!
Roasted Steak-y Mushroom Kale Salad
- 15Prep:
- 30Cook Time:
- Yield: 8 Servings
Roasted Steak-y Mushroom Kale Salad is a walk down memory lane that ended up as a chance for you to enjoy a satisfying meal in a bowl. The mushrooms are juicy, meaty, savory bites of goodness. The blue-cheese dressed kale is tangy and delightfully chewy. The chickpeas add a fun, spicy crunch, and the potatoes are like little pillows of slightly sweet cream. And during grilling season, why not go ahead and make the Creamy Vegan Blue Cheese Dressing ahead, and while it chills, roast the mushrooms and potatoes in packets on the grill!
Ingredients
- For the Potatoes:
- 3 cups of potatoes, chopped into chunky bite-sized pieces
- 2 tbsp of lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 1 tbsp aquafaba ...it's the bean broth from a can of chickpeas or homemade chickpeas
- a pinch of pink Himalayan sea salt, or another salt, to taste
- For the Salad:
- 2 cups of homemade Creamy Vegan Blue Cheese Dressing
- one 16 oz bag of organic chopped kale or about 1 pound of kale torn from stems
- 1/3 cup of red onion, chopped as well as a few sliced rings for garnish
- 16 oz package of whole portabella mushrooms, cleaned and sliced if they're excessively large
- 1 tbsp of Braggs Liquid Aminos, tamari, or coconut aminos ...if you're avoiding soy
- one bulb of garlic for roasting
- For the Chickpea Topping:
- 3 cans of chickpeas, drained of the aquafaba or broth, reserved for another use
- 1 1/2 tsp of smoked paprika
- 1 1/2 tsp of garlic powder
- 2 tsp of granulated onion powder
- 1 1/2 tsp of chili powder - I found this bulk deal on three bottles of one of my favorite organic brands.
- a generous squeeze of fresh lemon juice, at least 1 tbsp or so
- a dash of pink Himalayan sea salt or another salt, to taste
Instructions
- Begin by preheating the oven to 425º Fahrenheit and lining a baking sheet or two with parchment paper. Now, tear a piece of aluminum foil as well as another sheet of parchment paper to line the foil. Make sure the foil and parchment are large enough to make a roomy baking pocket or envelope to roast a whole bulb of garlic. Carefully slice the top pointy part of the width of the garlic off to reveal the cloves inside the pod. Separate the cloves from the head of garlic just a bit by loosening them just a little. The cloves do not have to break free from the bulb, only blossom out a bit. Throw away any paper peelings that fall off during the wiggling process. No need to bother with peeling each clove though and that's a real time saver. Drizzle the garlic with a few drops of water. Wrap the whole loosened bulb in a foil envelope, making sure that all edges are sealed. Allow the enveloped garlic to roast in the oven along with the chickpeas, potatoes, and mushrooms. The garlic should take about 20 minutes or so to bake. Be sure to read the note below regarding how to safely cook with foil.
- Next, tear another sheet of foil large enough to make a roomy baking pocket for the mushrooms. I say roomy because you want to allow some space for steam and the broth that develop during baking. Lay the cleaned portabella mushrooms on one half of the foil. Drizzle about one tablespoon or so of Braggs Liquid Aminos on the mushrooms. Seal the edges of the foil to create your spacious mushroom baking packet. You can place the mushroom packet on the same baking sheet as the potatoes, garlic pouch, chickpeas; wherever it fits. Once the mushrooms roast, they will begin to release their lovely juices. And believe me, those juices are gold... pure gold.
- In a large mixing bowl, place the three cups of bite-sized chopped potatoes, two tablespoons of lemon juice, one tablespoon of aquafaba, or chickpea broth, and sea salt. Toss to distribute the seasonings evenly. Spread the coated potatoes onto the prepared sheet pan and bake for 15 minutes. Check for tenderness, and move around a bit to discourage sticking and return to the oven to finish roasting. It should only take about ten more minutes at the most. By the way, if you have room in the oven to have everything in the oven at the same time at any point, go ahead... just keep an eye on each individual component as not to overcook. For example, the garlic may finish quicker than the chickpeas, potatoes or mushrooms.
- Now, line another sheet pan with parchment paper. If you only have one sheet pan, no problem. Just bake the chickpeas after the potatoes have roasted or vice versa. For the chickpea topping. Toss the drained, but not rinsed chickpeas with lemon juice, stirring to coat. Next, and the smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder and chili powder stir until evenly coated. Spread the spiced chickpeas on the parchment lined baking sheet. Roast, checking halfway through and shaking the pan until chickpeas are golden and slightly firm but not hard. It should take about 30 minutes. When they seem toasted to the level you prefer, remove them from the oven and set aside. Try not to eat them all while you wait for the potatoes and garlic to roast. At this point, make sure you have removed the garlic from the oven and mushrooms from the oven, also. Check the potatoes for tenderness and remove once they pierce easily with a fork.
- While everything is roasting and toasting in the oven, if you haven't already done so, mix up a fresh batch of blue cheese dressing. And while this dressing recipe is the bomb and I highly recommend using it, I am going to be a big girl and let you know that it is okay if you want to use store-bought dressing. I know how hectic life can sometimes be. But if you have five to ten minutes or so to spare, make this dressing. You will write to me and thank me someday, I am sure of it. I think it's the tahini I use in my dressing recipe... it gives it a little extra something-something that just works!
- Once the dressing is ready, put the kale in a large mixing bowl. Using your hands, massage the blue cheese dressing into the kale, adding a little at a time, for a couple of minutes. You do not have to use two cups of dressing, dress it to your liking. Just remember that there will be potatoes chickpeas and mushrooms joining the party soon and they'll need to have some dressing too. Next, add the chopped onion to the dressed kale mixture.
- Now, providing that the garlic is cool enough to touch, squeeze the contents of each roasted garlic clove into the bowl holding the kale mixture. Break apart any large clumps of garlic. Trust me; it's worth this tiny effort of squeezing roasted garlic into your salad... it's so, so, good. Nothing compares to the warm and nutty flavor of roasted garlic.
- Carefully open the pouch of mushrooms with a steady hand as not to spill their juices. Add the mushrooms and their lovely broth to the dressed kale mixture. Next, add the potatoes and, finally, the roasted chickpeas. Toss gently to distribute everything evenly. And if you like, add a few additional raw red onion rings to the top of the salad for a lovely colorful garnish for serving. During grilling season, make the blue cheese dressing ahead, and while it chills, roast the mushrooms and potatoes in packets on the grill!
Notes
- When using homemade chickpeas in a recipe calling for canned chickpeas, use about two cups of home-cooked chickpeas for each can. For this recipe, that would be about six cups of drained chickpeas.
- If you have more than one baking sheet, use two to speed the roasting process along.
- Store bought vegan blue cheese dressing can stand in for the homemade version if needed but I highly recommend the few additional minutes required to make my dressing recipe.
- The nutritional information below accounts for everything except the dressing as some will opt to make their version or use store-bought.
- When cooking with aluminum foil, always wrap the food in parchment paper first, then wrap with the foil since it is best not to allow aluminum to come into contact with food. Alternatively, use a small covered baking dish in place of the foil & parchment paper lined pouch. And to ease cleanup when using a covered baking dish, line the baking dish with parchment paper.
Nutrition
% DV
- Total Fat 2.5 g 4 %
- Saturated Fat 0.1 g 0 %
- Cholesterol 0 g 0 %
- Sodium 257.2 mg 11 %
- Carbohydrates 59 g 20 %
- Fiber 13 g 52 %
- Sugar 5.7 g ---
- Protein 16.5 g 33 %
- Vitamin A 24 %
- Vitamin C 132 %
- Iron 27 %
- Calcium 20 %
Roasted Steak-y Mushroom Kale Salad
BY VEEG.CO
Ingredients
- For the Potatoes:
- 3 cups of potatoes, chopped into chunky bite-sized pieces
- 2 tbsp of lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 1 tbsp aquafaba ...it's the bean broth from a can of chickpeas or homemade chickpeas
- a pinch of pink Himalayan sea salt, or another salt, to taste
- For the Salad:
- 2 cups of homemade Creamy Vegan Blue Cheese Dressing
- one 16 oz bag of organic chopped kale or about 1 pound of kale torn from stems
- 1/3 cup of red onion, chopped as well as a few sliced rings for garnish
- 16 oz package of whole portabella mushrooms, cleaned and sliced if they're excessively large
- 1 tbsp of Braggs Liquid Aminos, tamari, or coconut aminos ...if you're avoiding soy
- one bulb of garlic for roasting
- For the Chickpea Topping:
- 3 cans of chickpeas, drained of the aquafaba or broth, reserved for another use
- 1 1/2 tsp of smoked paprika
- 1 1/2 tsp of garlic powder
- 2 tsp of granulated onion powder
- 1 1/2 tsp of chili powder - I found this bulk deal on three bottles of one of my favorite organic brands.
- a generous squeeze of fresh lemon juice, at least 1 tbsp or so
- a dash of pink Himalayan sea salt or another salt, to taste
Instructions
- Begin by preheating the oven to 425º Fahrenheit and lining a baking sheet or two with parchment paper. Now, tear a piece of aluminum foil as well as another sheet of parchment paper to line the foil. Make sure the foil and parchment are large enough to make a roomy baking pocket or envelope to roast a whole bulb of garlic. Carefully slice the top pointy part of the width of the garlic off to reveal the cloves inside the pod. Separate the cloves from the head of garlic just a bit by loosening them just a little. The cloves do not have to break free from the bulb, only blossom out a bit. Throw away any paper peelings that fall off during the wiggling process. No need to bother with peeling each clove though and that's a real time saver. Drizzle the garlic with a few drops of water. Wrap the whole loosened bulb in a foil envelope, making sure that all edges are sealed. Allow the enveloped garlic to roast in the oven along with the chickpeas, potatoes, and mushrooms. The garlic should take about 20 minutes or so to bake. Be sure to read the note below regarding how to safely cook with foil.
- Next, tear another sheet of foil large enough to make a roomy baking pocket for the mushrooms. I say roomy because you want to allow some space for steam and the broth that develop during baking. Lay the cleaned portabella mushrooms on one half of the foil. Drizzle about one tablespoon or so of Braggs Liquid Aminos on the mushrooms. Seal the edges of the foil to create your spacious mushroom baking packet. You can place the mushroom packet on the same baking sheet as the potatoes, garlic pouch, chickpeas; wherever it fits. Once the mushrooms roast, they will begin to release their lovely juices. And believe me, those juices are gold... pure gold.
- In a large mixing bowl, place the three cups of bite-sized chopped potatoes, two tablespoons of lemon juice, one tablespoon of aquafaba, or chickpea broth, and sea salt. Toss to distribute the seasonings evenly. Spread the coated potatoes onto the prepared sheet pan and bake for 15 minutes. Check for tenderness, and move around a bit to discourage sticking and return to the oven to finish roasting. It should only take about ten more minutes at the most. By the way, if you have room in the oven to have everything in the oven at the same time at any point, go ahead... just keep an eye on each individual component as not to overcook. For example, the garlic may finish quicker than the chickpeas, potatoes or mushrooms.
- Now, line another sheet pan with parchment paper. If you only have one sheet pan, no problem. Just bake the chickpeas after the potatoes have roasted or vice versa. For the chickpea topping. Toss the drained, but not rinsed chickpeas with lemon juice, stirring to coat. Next, and the smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder and chili powder stir until evenly coated. Spread the spiced chickpeas on the parchment lined baking sheet. Roast, checking halfway through and shaking the pan until chickpeas are golden and slightly firm but not hard. It should take about 30 minutes. When they seem toasted to the level you prefer, remove them from the oven and set aside. Try not to eat them all while you wait for the potatoes and garlic to roast. At this point, make sure you have removed the garlic from the oven and mushrooms from the oven, also. Check the potatoes for tenderness and remove once they pierce easily with a fork.
- While everything is roasting and toasting in the oven, if you haven't already done so, mix up a fresh batch of blue cheese dressing. And while this dressing recipe is the bomb and I highly recommend using it, I am going to be a big girl and let you know that it is okay if you want to use store-bought dressing. I know how hectic life can sometimes be. But if you have five to ten minutes or so to spare, make this dressing. You will write to me and thank me someday, I am sure of it. I think it's the tahini I use in my dressing recipe... it gives it a little extra something-something that just works!
- Once the dressing is ready, put the kale in a large mixing bowl. Using your hands, massage the blue cheese dressing into the kale, adding a little at a time, for a couple of minutes. You do not have to use two cups of dressing, dress it to your liking. Just remember that there will be potatoes chickpeas and mushrooms joining the party soon and they'll need to have some dressing too. Next, add the chopped onion to the dressed kale mixture.
- Now, providing that the garlic is cool enough to touch, squeeze the contents of each roasted garlic clove into the bowl holding the kale mixture. Break apart any large clumps of garlic. Trust me; it's worth this tiny effort of squeezing roasted garlic into your salad... it's so, so, good. Nothing compares to the warm and nutty flavor of roasted garlic.
- Carefully open the pouch of mushrooms with a steady hand as not to spill their juices. Add the mushrooms and their lovely broth to the dressed kale mixture. Next, add the potatoes and, finally, the roasted chickpeas. Toss gently to distribute everything evenly. And if you like, add a few additional raw red onion rings to the top of the salad for a lovely colorful garnish for serving. During grilling season, make the blue cheese dressing ahead, and while it chills, roast the mushrooms and potatoes in packets on the grill!
Notes
- When using homemade chickpeas in a recipe calling for canned chickpeas, use about two cups of home-cooked chickpeas for each can. For this recipe, that would be about six cups of drained chickpeas.
- If you have more than one baking sheet, use two to speed the roasting process along.
- Store bought vegan blue cheese dressing can stand in for the homemade version if needed but I highly recommend the few additional minutes required to make my dressing recipe.
- The nutritional information below accounts for everything except the dressing as some will opt to make their version or use store-bought.
- When cooking with aluminum foil, always wrap the food in parchment paper first, then wrap with the foil since it is best not to allow aluminum to come into contact with food. Alternatively, use a small covered baking dish in place of the foil & parchment paper lined pouch. And to ease cleanup when using a covered baking dish, line the baking dish with parchment paper.
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Comments
Instead of Mushrooms in tinfoil, would a covered casserole dish work?
Absolutely, Jackie, and thank you so much for asking. I thought I had added a note at the bottom of the recipe suggesting a covered casserole in place of the foil. (I’ll go back and check to make sure that I do… it’s important!) Because once I learned about the healthier option of skipping the foil, a covered dish became my preferred method. By the way, the mushrooms turn out juicy beyond belief and so full of flavor! You are going to love it!