Strawberry Kale Salad with Nutty Granola Croutons

We are usually purists when it comes to salad toppings, but this nutty granola topping are a whole different story. Basically adding freshly toasted, spiced nut mix to salad—clearly a good idea.

INGREDIENTS

Kale salad

8 ounces Tuscan kale or regular curly kale (one medium bunch)

½ pound strawberries, hulled and sliced

4 to 5 medium radishes, sliced thin and roughly chopped

2 ounces chilled goat cheese (or about ⅓ cup cup goat cheese crumbles)

Lemon honey mustard dressing

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice (about 1 small lemon)

1 tablespoon smooth Dijon mustard

1 ½ teaspoons honey

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Nutty granola “croutons”

1 cup old-fashioned oats

½ cup raw shelled pistachios (or walnuts or pecans)

½ cup whole almonds

½ cup raw sunflower seeds

¼ cup raw sesame seeds

1 tablespoon fennel seeds

½ teaspoon fine-grain sea salt

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 large egg white, beaten (optional, see note for vegans)

¼ cup olive oil

1 tablespoon honey or agave nectar

INSTRUCTIONS

To make the granola: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a medium bowl, toss the oats, pistachios, almonds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, fennel seeds, salt, and cayenne pepper. Stir in the beaten egg white, oil, and honey or agave nectar until well blended. Transfer mixture to a rimmed baking sheet and bake, stirring halfway, until golden, about 16-19 minutes. Let the granola cool on the baking sheet.

To make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, mustard and honey until emulsified. Season with a dash of sea salt and a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper.

To prepare the kale: Use a chef’s knife to remove the tough ribs from the kale, then discard the ribs (or feed them to your dog!). Chop the kale leaves into small, bite-sized pieces. Transfer the chopped kale to a big salad bowl. Sprinkle a small pinch of sea salt over the kale and massage the leaves with your hands by lightly scrunching big handfuls at a time, until the leaves are darker in color and fragrant.

To assemble the salad: Drizzle in the salad dressing (you might not need all of it) and toss well, until all of the kale is lightly coated in dressing. Add the sliced strawberries and chopped radishes, then use a fork to crumble the goat cheese over the salad. Toss again, then sprinkle with a couple handfuls of granola. For best flavor, let the salad rest for 15 minutes before serving (this gives the dressing time to soak into the kale).

We are usually purests when it comes to salad toppings, but this nutty granola topping are a whole different story. Basically adding freshly toasted, spiced nut mix to salad—clearly a good idea.

INGREDIENTS

Kale salad

8 ounces Tuscan kale or regular curly kale (one medium bunch)

½ pound strawberries, hulled and sliced

4 to 5 medium radishes, sliced thin and roughly chopped

2 ounces chilled goat cheese (or about ⅓ cup cup goat cheese crumbles)

Lemon honey mustard dressing

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice (about 1 small lemon)

1 tablespoon smooth Dijon mustard

1 ½ teaspoons honey

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Nutty granola “croutons”

1 cup old-fashioned oats

½ cup raw shelled pistachios (or walnuts or pecans)

½ cup whole almonds

½ cup raw sunflower seeds

¼ cup raw sesame seeds

1 tablespoon fennel seeds

½ teaspoon fine-grain sea salt

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 large egg white, beaten (optional, see note for vegans)

¼ cup olive oil

1 tablespoon honey or agave nectar

INSTRUCTIONS

To make the granola: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a medium bowl, toss the oats, pistachios, almonds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, fennel seeds, salt, and cayenne pepper. Stir in the beaten egg white, oil, and honey or agave nectar until well blended. Transfer mixture to a rimmed baking sheet and bake, stirring halfway, until golden, about 16-19 minutes. Let the granola cool on the baking sheet.

To make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, mustard and honey until emulsified. Season with a dash of sea salt and a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper.

To prepare the kale: Use a chef’s knife to remove the tough ribs from the kale, then discard the ribs (or feed them to your dog!). Chop the kale leaves into small, bite-sized pieces. Transfer the chopped kale to a big salad bowl. Sprinkle a small pinch of sea salt over the kale and massage the leaves with your hands by lightly scrunching big handfuls at a time, until the leaves are darker in color and fragrant.

To assemble the salad: Drizzle in the salad dressing (you might not need all of it) and toss well, until all of the kale is lightly coated in dressing. Add the sliced strawberries and chopped radishes, then use a fork to crumble the goat cheese over the salad. Toss again, then sprinkle with a couple handfuls of granola. For best flavor, let the salad rest for 15 minutes before serving (this gives the dressing time to soak into the kale).