Lemon Kale Salad (with Cous Cous)

Say good bye to boring salads! This Mediterranean inspired, zesty Kale Salad is packed with healthy ingredients and tossed with a delicious lemon herb vinaigrette.

The one good thing about warm weather is that we tend to eat less. More than ever, I am craving fresh, healthy salads. So I like to take advantage of that craving as much as possible. We have been enjoying Grilled Romaine Caesar at least once a week here. My other current favorite is Olive Oil Poached Cod Salad. I was so happy when Keith decided to add a kale salad to the mix. Leaning into some Mediterranean inspired flavors, he created this Kale & Cous Cous Salad with a spectacular lemon vinaigrette that I can't stop thinking about.

Ingredients:

For the Salad:

• CHOPPED KALE: 1 quart (we used curly green kale for this recipe)
• COUS COUS: 1 cup, cooked (we like large Israeli cous cous)
• CHICK PEAS: ½ cup
• CASHEWS: ½ cup (we like to toast them to bring out the flavor)
• TOMATOES: 1 cup, diced (we like cherry tomatoes or vine ripened tomatoes)
• CUCUMBERS: 1 cup
• FETA CHEESE: 1 cup, crumbled

For the Dressing:

• FRESH LEMON JUICE: ¼ cup
• OLIVE OIL: ¾ cup (use the best Extra Virgin Olive Oil you can afford)
• FENNEL SEEDS: 1 teaspoon
• FRESH ROSEMARY: 1 tablespoon
• GARLIC: 1 garlic clove
• COARSE SALT: 1 teaspoon

Keith has had a lot of practice when it comes to creating great salads. He will tell you that "it's all about the dressing", and how a homemade vinaigrette can add just the right bit of newness to a simple salad. He loves to experiment with herbs from our garden and other fresh ingredients to add just the right "kick" to a bowl of greens.

how to make Kale Salad Dressing (Lemon Vinaigrette):

1. Using a mortar and pestle, combine rosemary, fennel seeds, garlic and salt and grind until a fine consistency is achieved.
2. Transfer to large mixing bowl. Add lemon juice and mix.
3. Using a whisk, constantly whisk while slowly drizzling in olive oil until well combined.

Assemble the Lemon Kale Salad:

1. Break down the kale by removing the tender leaves from the stalks and cutting them into small pieces
2. Massage the kale leaves with a teaspoon of olive oil and/or lemon juice to reduce the bitterness.
3. Mix in cooked cous cous, chickpeas, tomatoes, cucumbers, feta cheese and cashews.
4. Pour Lemon Vinaigrette over salad and toss until combined.
5. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.
6. Grind in fresh black pepper to taste.

Expert tips:

• Curly Green Kale is a great base for this salad because it is firm and flavorful. It can hold the dressing and the other ingredients without getting soggy
• use a mortar & pestle to grind up the herbs before adding them to the dressing. It makes for a more robust flavor.
• Lemon Vinaigrette can be made ahead of time and refrigerated for up to one week.
• Don't like kale? Mix it with mesclun to cut down on the bitterness. Or, take it out all together and replace with mixed greens and radicchio.
• We love feta in this salad for the Mediterranean flavor, but you can also add freshly grated parmesan cheese.

I love kale, but I understand not everyone does. So a good substitution for kale would be mixed greens with radicchio. Fresh tomatoes (we use vine-ripened or cherry) add a hint of acid & sweetness, and cashews add that crunch that I always look for. Grains in salads are a new passion of ours (try our Grilled Peach & Farro Salad). They round out the dish and really make it feel like a main course, not just a side. In this case, cous cous does the trick.

More Delicious Salad Recipes:

Kale & Pear Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing

Olive Oil & Poached Cod Salad

Mediterranean Radicchio Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette

Shaved Brussels sprouts Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette

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