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Hearty Pineapple Vegetable Chop Salad

A hearty, nutritious salad packed with vegetables and topped with sweet Del Monte® Pineapple Tidbits and cashews for a bit of a crunch.

Yield 10 Servings (13 oz each)

Ingredient Measure
Del Monte® Pineapple Juice 1 cup
Shallots, raw, chopped 2 Tbsp
Ginger Root, raw, chopped 1 Tbsp
Almond Butter, salt free 2 tsp
Maple Syrup, pure 3 Tbsp
Soy Sauce, low sodium 2 Tbsp
Turmeric, ground 1/4 tsp
Canola Oil 2/3 cup
Sesame Oil, toasted 1/4 tsp
Salt 1/2 tsp
Pepper 1/2 tsp
Kale, de-ribbed, chopped 5 qt
Del Monte® Pineapple Tidbits in 100% Juice 2 1/2 cups
Zucchini, ribbons 2 1/2 cups
Red Bell Pepper, julienned 1 1/2 cups
Red Cabbage, shredded 1 1/2 cups
Carrot, shredded 1 1/4 cups
Basil, chopped 1/2 cup
Cilantro, chopped 1/2 cup
Cashew, chopped 1 cup

TIP

The blanching makes the kale more tender and less bitter. Some chefs prefer to massage the kale lightly with olive oil, lemon juice and a pinch of salt to make it tender and flavorful.

For a la carte service, prep and portion the kale, vegetables, and fresh herbs into 10 equal portion bowls. At service dress each portion with 1½ to 2 tablespoons dressing, plate and top each with ¼ cup pineapple tidbits and 1½ tablespoons cashews.

This salad would also be nice over a bed of chilled legumes, rice, rice noodles or cous cous.

Directions:

  1. In a blender combine the pineapple juice, shallots, ginger, almond butter, maple syrup, soy sauce and turmeric. 
  2. Blend on low for about 2 minutes to mince the ginger and shallots.
  3. Then turn the blender to high and slowly pour in the canola and sesame oils until emulsified. Remove from the blender and season to taste with salt and pepper.
  4. In a 10 qt. stock pot with boiling slightly salted water add your de-ribbed, cut kale for about 2 minutes or until tender.
  5. Remove and plunge into an ice bath to shock it.
  6. Remove kale from the ice water, drain, pat dry and reserve.
  7. In a stainless-steel mixing bowl, combine kale, zucchini, red bell pepper, red cabbage, carrot, basil, and cilantro.
  8. As needed, dress the salad with the sweet and spicy pineapple dressing.
  9. Plate and top the salad with pineapple tidbits and chopped cashews.

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