Kale made an appearance in my Front Door Organics Small Fry box last week and while I typically associate “kale” with “chips” (because, well, that is how most of my kale ends up!!), it’s still a little warm to be firing up the oven for making chips. The heat that has made a re-appearance here in Toronto this week calls for salads and the recipe I am sharing with you today combines sweet with savoury – salty goat cheese with sweet apples – with a touch of tartness from dried cherries for good measure. I’ve used both salad greens and kale leaves and added toasted almonds for crunch. It’s a satisfying salad that really only requires some good bread to make it into a lunch or light dinner.
- ⅓ cup sliced almonds
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon grainy Dijon mustard
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 teaspoon honey
- pinch (1/8 teaspoon) sea salt
- 2 bunches kale, ribs and stems removed, roughly torn into small pieces
- 2 cups (2 good handsful) fresh salad mix
- ⅓ cup dried cherries, snipped in half with scissors
- 1 small apple, cubed
- 125g soft, fresh goat cheese, crumbled
- Heat a small skillet over medium heat.
- Add the sliced almonds and move around the pan constantly with a wooden spoon until the almonds start to brown a little around the edges (around 10 minutes). Make sure to keep an eye on these - they can burn very quickly.
- Remove almonds from heat and allow to cool.
- Whisk the oil, vinegar, mustard, garlic, honey and salt together (or shake in a jam jar).
- In a large bowl, toss the kale and salad leaves with the dressing. Let the salad sit for about 10 minutes, then re-toss with tongs.
- Add the cherries, apple and almonds and mix through the salad leaves.
- Add the goat cheese and gently mix through.
- Serve immediately.
What’s your favourite “big salad”?
Recipe shared with permission, originally published on Front Door Organics.
…and made all the more delectable by the addition of a nice dry rose from Ravine Vineyards. 🙂
Kale + goat cheese + dried cherries is one of my favorite fall combos. I never thought to add apples (says the girl who lives in apple country).
This looks wonderful.
What a terrific looking salad. I like a salad with pumpkin, baby spinach, feta and almonds – delish.
All the ingredients in this salad sound like a heavenly combination!