Chopped Kale Salad with Spicy Chickpeas and Cherries

A delicious sweet and spicy kale salad perfect for hot summer nights, made with seasonal ingredients, minimal cooking and is very filling.. This salad is not only yummy but also very nutritious. Hope you’ll give it a try.

If you noticed on my blog I work with and love to promote local food businesses, women owned, local farmers and artisanal producers. Today I want to introduce you to Fresh Vintage Farms Almond oil thats locally made here in California. Their almond are locally sourced in CA and freshly cold pressed made with only one ingredient “almond”. I absolutely love its nutty almond flavor, light texture. I use it for my salad dressings, smoothies and drizzled over my soups. It not only tastes delicious, but also good enough to use on your skin and hair. I have been massaging a few drops every night my face and nails. It’s great for moisturizing and keeping my cuticles healthy.

Ingredients

• Spicy Chickpeas croutons, recipe follows
• 6-8 organic curly kale leaves, about 6 cups, shredded
• ½ head radicchio, torn
• ¼ cup sliced almonds
• 1½ – 2 cups fresh cherries pitted and halved
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• DRESSING
• ¼ cup Fresh Vintage Farm almond oil
• 2 tablespoon organic maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 freshly ground black pepper
• 2-3 oz feta, crumbled
• CHICKPEA CROUTONS
• 1-14 oz chickpeas, drained, rinsed patted dry
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon Harrisa chili sauce or any hot chili sauce like sriracha or Aleppo

Instructions

1. Make the chickpeas: heat a skillet, add the oil and pan fry the chickpeas with cumin and Harrisa. Pan fry for 4-5, the chickpeas will start to crisp. Stir the chickpeas to prevent burning. season and set aside.
2. Add the kale to a large bowl, add the lemon juice and massage the leaves to soften them also helps to digest better. Leave it for 10 minutes. Then add the chopped radicchio, cherries, sliced almonds, toss to combine.
3. To make the dressing: Combine lemon juice, mustard, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, sea salt and black pepper in a bowl. Whisk continually while you gradually stream in the almond oil. Pour the dressing over salad; toss to combine. Top with crumbled feta and enjoy!