Crispy Kale & Coconut Bacon Soba Salad with Creamy Cashew Miso Dressing

Mains Sides

By Kira Constable

TFW you want bacon but you ALSO want that plant-based life.

Enter: "coconut bacon" or aka "facon".

But don't worry, there's nothing "fake" about this - it's pure coconut chips marinated in tamari, oil, maple, S&P...(basically all the good things that give it a smokey flavour!) Roasted alongside some kale, tossed through soba noodles and dressed with a creamy dressing. We were going for a "tahini" miso dressing, but what do you do when you've run out? Switch it out for creamy cashew butter of course!

Ingredients
Method

Crispy Kale and Coconut Bacon
2 cups of Loving Earth Coconut Chips
1 bunch of kale, rinsed and roughly torn
300g dried soba noodles
1 tbsp. avocado or olive oil
2 tbsp. tamari
1 tbsp. maple syrup
1 pinch sea salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
Cashew Miso Dressing
1/3 cup cashew butter
1 tbsp. peeled and grated ginger
1 clove garlic
2 tsp. white miso paste
1 tbsp. tamari
1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. sesame seed oil
2 tsp. coconut nectar
3 tbsp. water
pinch of salt

Step 1Preheat an oven to 180 degrees Celsius and line a large baking tray with baking paper. Toss the kale, coconut chips, coconut oil, tamari, maple and S&P in a large bowl to coat. Roast, tossing halfway through for approximately 15-20 minutes until the kale and coconut is crispy and golden brown. Be careful to not burn it!
Step 2While the coconut and kale is roasting, cook the soba noodles in a large pot of boiling water, following package directions. Drain and rinse under cold running water. Make sure to shake off any excess water and transfer to a large bowl.
Step 3To make the miso tahini dressing, combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Pour about half of the dressing into the soba noodles and toss to coat. Add about half of the crispy coconut and kale and toss again to incorporate. Add more dressing salt and pepper until a desired taste is reached.
Step 4Transfer the soba noodles to a large serving bowl and add the remaining coconut and kale on top. Drizzle with sesame oil.