A vibrant and nourishing salad brimming with crisp kale, roasted chickpeas, creamy avocado, toasted pepitas, cranberries, and a silky carrot ginger dressing. Perfectly suited for a wholesome lunch or a light dinner.
¼cupextra-virgin olive oilplus additional for drizzling
½teaspoonextra-virgin olive oil
1bunch curly kalestems discarded, leaves torn into bite-sized portions
1small red beetgrated
½watermelon radishsliced wafer-thin
1teaspoonsesame seeds
¼cuppepitastoasted
2tablespoonsdried cranberries
1teaspoonfresh lemon juice
¾cupchopped carrots
⅓ to ½cupwater
2teaspoonsfresh gingerfinely minced
2tablespoonsrice vinegar
¼teaspoonsea saltplus extra for seasoning
1recipe Roasted Chickpeas
1small carrotgrated
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1avocadodiced
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400°F and prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper. Arrange the chopped carrots on one sheet, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and toss to coat evenly. Spread the carrots in a single layer and roast for 20 to 25 minutes until tender. Once roasted, transfer the carrots to a blender, pour in the water, olive oil, rice vinegar, ginger, and salt, then blend until velvety smooth. Refrigerate until needed. On the second sheet, cook the chickpeas following the Roasted Chickpeas recipe. In a large bowl, combine the kale with the lemon juice, a drizzle of olive oil, and a few pinches of salt. Gently massage the leaves with your hands until they soften and reduce in volume by about half. Incorporate the grated carrot, beet, watermelon radish, half the avocado, cranberries, pepitas, a pinch more salt, and several grinds of black pepper. Toss thoroughly. Drizzle with the prepared carrot ginger dressing, then top with the remaining avocado, an extra drizzle of dressing, the roasted chickpeas, and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Adjust seasoning as desired and serve immediately.
Notes
Prepare the dressing in advance to allow it ample time to chill before assembling the salad.