All Kale Caesar!

kale caesar salad with roasted chickpeas

It's no secret that I love kale. In fact, my husband took the kids camping without me, and my first thought - right after I can watch unlimited episodes of NYPD Blue and drink wine straight out of the bottle - was that I could have a giant kale salad for dinner and no one would protest.

The truth is, my husband and kids are not huge kale fans. If kale was a sports team, I would be sitting in the bleachers waving a giant foam finger pronouncing "We're Number One!" and cheering, whereas my family would be sighing and checking their cell phones to see what's happening on Facebook.

One of my favourite aspects of kale is that it doesn't wilt with the addition of dressing; you can dress the salad in advance, which is nice if you want to make a giant bowl of it and then eat it all day long while watching NYPD Blue and drinking wine. Or, if you want to take it to a potluck dinner, whichever works for you.

The addition of roasted chickpeas, in lieu of croutons, turns this kale Caesar salad into a protein-rich bowl of superfood. The roasted chickpeas should be added at the very last minute in order for them to maintain their crispness; they are addictive in themselves, so be sure to reserve some for the salad!

Kale Caesar Salad

Ingredients

1-355mL can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 tsp olive oil

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 cup olive oil

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

1 clove garlic

2 tbsp tahini

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp cracked black pepper

1 large head kale, destemmed and cut into bite-sized pieces

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, toss chickpeas with 1 teaspoon olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon each garlic powder and sea salt.

Arrange chickpeas in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet, and roast in oven for 30 minutes, flipping and tossing chickpeas halfway through. Allow to cool.

In a blender, mix together olive oil, red wine vinegar, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, garlic, tahini, salt, and pepper. Pour over kale pieces and, using your hands, massage the dressing into the kale. Allow kale to sit, refrigerated, for at least 30 minutes.

Top with roasted chickpeas when ready to serve.

Enjoy!

ROASTED CHICKPEAS. I could eat these all day. And I did!

Are you like me and you can't get enough kale? Try my Roasted Squash, Kale, and Quinoa Salad, or my favourite snack, Kale Chips Two Ways. Not convinced? Try the salad that got my kale-hating husband to say, "Huh, it's pretty good," my Kick-Ass Kale Salad.