Name: Unexpectedly Delicious Kale Salad
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 1 cup diced fennel bulb, stalks and root portion removed; 3 tablespoons peeled and minced shallot; Zest from 1 lemon; 2 tablespoons hazelnut, almond, pistachio or walnut oil ((I love La Tourangelle nut oils)); 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons champagne vinegar OR fresh lemon juice; 1 teaspoon honey ((Local if available) ); ½ teaspoon kosher salt; ¼ teaspoon fresh cracked pepper; 1 box (5 ounces) curly kale, rinsed and dried with thicker stems removed; ½ cup shredded cheddar goat cheese ((I love Natural Valley Goat Cheese. In a pinch use: any sharp cheddar)); 2 tablespoons finely minced fennel fronds; 2 tablespoon minced fresh dill OR 1 teaspoon dried dill; 1 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes or to taste ((Aleppo pepper is amazing if you can find it!)); ½ cup crispy chickpeas ((Try Biena Chickpea Snacks, ranch or habanero! In a pinch use nuts or seeds of choice to add a crunch))

Jump to Recipe

>>> Recipetale <<<

My husband isn’t one to have a plate full of meat, but eat the salad first. However, on this curiously different spring day, he did just that. A few weeks before closing on our New Buffalo home, we found ourselves at the first annual Great Lakes Surf n’ Turf fundraiser at Flagship Specialty Foods & Fish Market. Chef and owner Rachel Collins was grilling fresh Sturgeon and Mangalitsa hog, local wine and craft beer was flowing, and we were treated to lively tunes from The School of American Music, the beneficiary of this event.

“You have to try this lettuce!” David exclaimed, waving a forkful in front of my mouth. I took a bewildered bite and quickly understood why he was devouring these greens. They had a silky texture and just-harvested flavor, unlike anything I’d ever tasted. Asking around, we discovered the salad was made from locally grown vertical greens—and that the owner of the farm was sitting a few tables over. Introductions were made and minds were blown when we visited the vertical farm itself. Imagine a superior tasting lettuce or kale, grown year-round in any weather, that uses about 90% less water than traditional farming. Suffice it to say, that’s the only lettuce and kale we bought for the rest of the summer! I threw this salad together one night in an attempt to lure the hubs into eating more kale by combining several of his favorite ingredients: dill, cheddar goat cheese, crispy chickpeas and chili flakes. The result was unexpectedly delicious. Rich nut oil pairs well with the fresh, bright fennel and shallot, with plenty of crunch in every bite. I knew it was a winner when friends started asking me if I could “bring that one kale salad” to dinner parties, to which I always replied “Kale Yeah!”

Unexpectedly Delicious Kale Salad

Sometimes things just aren’t at all what they appear at first glance. It was a cold, dreary, gray day in April when we first visited New Buffalo, MI, fresh off the “boat” from California. Someone told us it was “the Hamptons of the Midwest,” so we arrived with high hopes. The tiny town looked practically abandoned and in the less than stellar weather, it was far from what we imagined. “Well, we probably don’t need to come back here again,” we agreed. Ha. Fast forward three years later when the craaa of Chicago city living had us both craving some quiet and New Buffalo ended up being our ticket to peaceful weekends and the best summer of our adult lives. After spending more time there, we discovered this place was truly, though unexpectedly, delicious, much like this simple kale salad. It might look plane Jane, but the flavors and textures of bold goat milk cheddar, crunchy chickpeas, herbaceous fennel and spicy chili flakes promise a partaayyyy for the palate.

Course Salad, Side Dish

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 6 refreshing servings (recipe can be halved or doubled)

Author Lindsay Navama

Ingredients

1 cup diced fennel bulb, stalks and root portion removed
3 tablespoons peeled and minced shallot
Zest from 1 lemon
2 tablespoons hazelnut, almond, pistachio or walnut oil (I love La Tourangelle nut oils)
1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons champagne vinegar OR fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey (Local if available)
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
1 box (5 ounces) curly kale, rinsed and dried with thicker stems removed
½ cup shredded cheddar goat cheese (I love Natural Valley Goat Cheese. In a pinch use: any sharp cheddar)
2 tablespoons finely minced fennel fronds
2 tablespoon minced fresh dill OR 1 teaspoon dried dill
1 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes or to taste (Aleppo pepper is amazing if you can find it!)
½ cup crispy chickpeas (Try Biena Chickpea Snacks, ranch or habanero! In a pinch use nuts or seeds of choice to add a crunch)

Instructions

Prep Dressing and Vegetables

To large salad bowl, add fennel, shallots, lemon zest, nut oil, vinegar, honey, salt and pepper and stir to combine.

Prep Kale

Hand-tear kale into pieces about two-inches long adding to bowl.

Finish Salad

Sprinkle goat cheese, fennel fronds, dill, chili flakes and chickpeas over kale, then salad tongs or a large spoon and fork to gently mix together fennel/shallot mixture with kale, to ensure all kale is well and evenly coated. Salt and pepper to taste.

Host with the Most

Chill salad bowls or plates in freezer for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Recipe Notes

Special Items Suggested
Crispy chickpeas

Tips for Success
Unlike me, this salad doesn’t like to be overdressed. Spend a little extra time massaging the dressing into the kale, let rest for 5 minutes, then taste to decide if you want to add more.