Kale Salad with Roasted Cauliflower and Crispy Chickpeas

My favorite salads contain a variety of flavors and textures and this salad delivers on that requirement. With tender kale, roasted cauliflower and chickpeas, creamy avocado and a tangy cashew dressing, there are so many delicious bites. While this may not be the summeriest of salads and does involve turning the oven on, the combination of flavors is so good and satisfying… it’s worth it. 

Kale makes up the base of this salad. And I love a good kale salad but you have to massage the kale. Adding a little olive oil and salt to a big bowl of fresh kale and working the oil and salt into the leaves makes it so tender and tasty. It only takes a few minutes but makes a huge difference in the salad and will be so much more enjoyable to eat. 

We need the oven on for roasted cauliflower and chickpeas, and I promise it's worth it. Roasted cauliflower is just, well, delicious. I like to let it cook in the oven until it is nicely browned on the outside, which can take 25-30 minutes (or maybe a little longer depending on your oven), and the inside will be nice and tender. The flavor is so mild which makes it a perfect vehicle for other flavors, but as long as it's well salted, I will pop them in my mouth right off the pan. While we are roasting the cauliflower for this salad, add a sheet pan of chickpeas tossed in oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder to the oven. They crisp up and are totally popable too but act as a protein packed crouton for this salad. 

I also add from finely diced red onion to this salad which just adds more flavor and a crisp little bite. And of course, another favorite, avocado. Why wouldn’t you add avocado to any salad? It adds a creamy texture with its mild nutty flavor and is full of good for you fats and vitamins. I top the salad with a tangy cashew dressing. I use fresh lemon juice and red wine vinegar to give the luscious dressing a kick, along with fresh garlic, dijon mustard, salt and a little agave for sweetness. The result is a creamy vegan salad dressing, perfect to keep on hand for any salad or even as a dip to enjoy with crackers. 

Now Raf and I can finish this whole salad but I feel like it could easily feed four people. When we eat it, it is usually more like Raf eats some and I eat the rest. I am basically a professional when it comes to eating salads. You could serve this with some delicious fresh bread, or as a side, or topped with a protein if you prefer.

Yield: 4

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Kale Salad with Roasted Cauliflower and Crispy Chickpeas

Prep time: 10 MCook time: 25 MTotal time: 35 M

Ingredients:

For the Salad

• 1 big bunch of kale, stems removed and chopped
• 1 head of cauliflower, cut into bite size pieces
• 1 can of chickpeas, drained and patted dry
• 1 avocado, cut into bite size pieces
• 1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil for kale, plus more for roasting
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• salt and pepper

For the Tangy Cashew Dressing

• 3/4 cup raw cashews, soaked for a few hours then drained
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
• 1/2 tablespoon agave
• 1/2 tablespoon  Dijion mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup water

Instructions:

1. ROAST: Heat your oven to 425 degrees and prepare two baking sheets to roast the cauliflower and chickpeas. Toss cauliflower with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast for about 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until nicely browned. Toss chickpeas in olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder and roast for about 15 minutes, until browned and crispy.
2. BLEND: While the cauliflower and chickpeas cook, prepare the cashew dressing. Add the garlic to a bowl with lemon juice, red wine vinegar and salt and allow to mellow for a few minutes. Then add that mixture to a blender with the cashews, Dijon mustard, agave and water and blend until creamy. Taste and adjust seasoning to your preference, you may also want to add more water if the dressing is too thick.
3. MASSAGE: Next, prepare the kale. Place the chopped kale in a large bowl, drizzle with about 2 tablespoons of good olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Massage the oil and salt into the kale leaves with your hands. The kale should become tender and a brighter green color.
4. ASSEMBLE: To the bowl of kale, add the diced red onion and avocado. Allow the cauliflower and chickpeas to cool a little after they come out of the oven and then add them to the salad. Top with the tangy cashew dressing and enjoy!

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