Chopped Kale Salad

My ideas for salads are seemingly endless and thank goodness for that because another endless thing in my life is my need to eat obscene amounts of cheese. So yes, my brain is filled with endless salad ideas from the extraordinarily healthy… Hi Zucchini Ribbons… to the decadent… remember when I fried a bunch of brie and put it in a salad?

Kale is my number one salad ingredient choice and this dressing is my go-to. I’ve made it dozens of times and it is always a hit. The perfect combination of creamy tahini, bright herbs, tangy lemon and apple cider vinegar and several other additions to bring it into perfect balance.

Kale – I am partial to curly kale because I like the texture. I know the chefs all say and I believe they are wrong. I like the kale I can sink my teeth into and curly does that for me. You do you.

Apples – I like a crisp sweet apple like Ambrosia or Honeycrisp.

Feta Cheese – feel free to sub in a different kind of cheese. Goat cheese would work well.

Walnuts – experiment with different nuts… pecans, pistachios, almonds, hazelnuts… all are good.

Tahini – I always try to find the natural, drippy kind of tahini. Usually found in the international section of my grocery store. You could use a natural almond or peanut butter in place of the tahini but the flavour will obviously change.

Chopped Kale Salad Recipe Variations:

Vegan Version – use maple syrup in place of the honey and omit the feta cheese and cheese crisps. You could add a few corn chips on top if you don’t want to miss out on the crunch.

Chicken Version – stir in 2 cups chopped, cooked chicken.

Extra Fruity Version – add in one chopped pear and a handful of dried cranberries. I like to add an extra squeeze of fresh lemon juice to this one.

First, we’ll make the cheese crisps by dropping spoonfuls of shredded cheddar onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (see me saving you from extra cleanup) and baking them until they’re golden brown and crispy. Set them aside and try not to eat them all before the rest of the salad is ready.

Next, we’ll make the dressing by simply whisking together all the ingredients in a bowl. Give it a good whisk until everything is completely smooth. If it seems a bit too thick, just whisk in a little water to get it to the right consistency.

Now it’s time to put it all together. Grab a big bowl and toss in the kale, apple slices, onion, avocado, chickpeas, feta, and walnuts. You can massage the kale with a little olive oil if you want to, but I usually skip this part because I find the chopped kale quite manageable. Pour the delicious dressing over the top and toss everything together until it’s well coated.

Serve it up with those crispy cheese bites on top for super yummy mega crunch!

• Honey Glazed Pork Chops with Apples (these would be so good served with this salad)
• and then maybe for dessert… Upside Down Puff Pastry Apple Tart
• Grilled Cheese with Honey Sage & Butternut Squash make this for lunch with this salad!
• Pumpkin Spice Muffins with Cream Cheese Filling and Streusel
• Banana and Pumpkin Muffins

If you like this Chopped Kale Salad Recipe let me know what you think in the comments below and please find and follow me on Social Media!