As the weather starts to chill, I lean towards hearty salads with deep flavors. This salad is a crowd pleaser for a stand alone lighter meal or could be perfectly paired with Thanksgiving leftovers. A quick thank you to my friend, Colby Francis who was its original creator. For more salad ideas, follow “SaladsAreSuperAwesome” on instagram.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 bunch of dinosaur kale
- 1 can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1 small head of broccoli
- 1 crisp apple, such as Pink Lady, cored, cut into matchsticks
- ½ cup crumbled goat cheese
- ¼ cup of chopped roasted pistachios
Apple cider vinaigrette dressing:
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- salt and pepper, to taste
- Add all of the dressing ingredients to a small bowl and whisk together.
DIRECTIONS:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Chop the broccoli into small pieces including the stalk.
- Toss the chickpeas and broccoli with 3 tablespoons of olive oil then toss with salt and pepper until coated and spread the chickpeas into a single layer on the baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes then stir.
- Continue baking for 12 minutes or until browned.
- De-stem the kale leaves, then cut the leaves into thin strips.
- In a large bowl, toss the kale with 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil and massage the kale with your hands for 3-4 minutes until coated in olive oil and softened.
- Add the pistachios, apple, roasted chickpeas and broccoli, and drizzle in about ⅔ of the salad dressing. Mix well and add more dressing if the salad consistency looks dry.
- Top with crumbled goat cheese.
- Add salt to taste, if needed.
- NOTE: Salad can be tossed together 30 minutes ahead and kept at room temperature.