People loved this peanut dressing so much, we're bringing it back in a whole different way. Everyone will love the dynamic sweet, salty, and crunch of this hearty, cold weather salad served up with piping hot pork chops. Smarts: One easy way to 'winter-fy' salads is to add a warm protein to make it feel more comforting.
Pork chops - Season with salt and pepper and tenderize with a fork. (Can be done up to 3 days ahead)
Make dressing - Grate ginger. Soften peanut butter in the microwave for ~30 seconds. Mix with ginger, soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, cooking oil, Sriracha (or other hot sauce), and lime juice. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
Dress kale - Dress kale with half of the dressing. Cover and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes to soften the kale.
Heat a skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat. Brush with some oil and then place pork chops on heated oil. Sear on each side for ~3 minutes. For thin pork chops, this should be enough heat to cook them through. If you’re using thicker pork chops, lower heat and cover with a piece of foil until pork reaches 145F (or 63C) degrees. When done, let pork rest for ~5 minutes before slicing.
Add celery, Asian pear, and peanuts to dressed kale. Toss and portion out the salad. Top with pork slices and drizzle remainder of the dressing over pork.