Winter Salad

This is the perfect Holiday salad! It can be served for Thanksgiving and/or Christmas and any day in between. It is incredibly delicious with the tart pomegranate, the mild and sweet curried crunchy roasted chickpeas and the salty, creaminess of the feta. It is also really pretty, and pretty food is always more fun to eat!

I partly made this salad because I was looking for a way to incorporate the curry roasted chickpeas I like so much! I could eat these every day with just about anything but they really add a lot to this salad. They are super easy to make!

Kale is a great wintery lettuce with a bit of an earthy flavor so pairing it with fresh, light fruit is always a good option. Here the orange and pomegranate pair well nicely.

PRO TIP: Tear the Kale leaves apart and massage for about 2-3 minutes with a tsp of avocado oil or until the leaves are softened. The leaves may turn a more vibrant green and the slight bitterness of the kale will mellow.

Ingredients for Salad:

1 head of kale

1/2 cup curry roasted chickpeas

1/2 pomegranate

feta cheese - as much as desired

2 tsp mint

1 orange - ideally blood orange

grilled chicken

Process: Wash the Kale and follow the pro tips for the kale. While the kale is drying roast the chickpeas (recipe follows) and grill the chicken as desired (or use rotisserie chicken). Put all the ingredients together and toss with white balsamic dressing.

Ingredients for Curry Roasted Chickpeas:

• 1 can high quality chickpeas

• 1 tblsp avocado oil

• 1 tsp yellow curry powder

• 1 tsp tumeric powder

• sprinkle of salt & pepper (I use Thai ginger salt)

Process:

Rinse and drain the chickpeas. Lay flat to dry while prepping kale and dressing. On a baking sheet mix chickpeas with avocado oil, curry powder, tumeric, salt and pepper on a baking sheet. Bake at 250 for 15-20 minuets or until crunchy.

Ingredients for White Balsamic Dressing:

1/3 cup avocado oil

1/4 tsp honey

2 tsp fresh lemon juice

2 tsp dijon mustard

1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar

1 tblsp shallot minced

salt & pepper to taste

Process:

Mince shallots. Mix all ingredients together. Top on any and all salads!