Kale Chickpea Salad with Candied Pecans
A hearty healthy autumn salad with chickpeas, apples, and candied pecans.
Servings 6 people
Calories 369kcal
Ingredients
- 1 bunch kale
- 1 small Granny Smith apple sliced
- 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas or 1 15 oz can drained and rinsed
- 1/4 cup shallot minced
- 1 cup feta cheese
- 3/4 cup pecans
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar + a pinch
- 1 teaspoon water
- pinch kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Vinaigrette
- 2 tablespoons olive oil the good stuff
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
- pinches salt and pepper
Instructions
- Rinse kale and remove leaves from stems. Rip into small bite sized pieces and add to a large bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt and with your hands, massage the oil and salt into the kale, mixing and turning the kale in the bowl until all of the kale is covered and kale is coated and tender.
- Add brown sugar to a small bowl, add water, and mix well.
- Heat a sauté pan to medium and add pecans. Toast for 1-2 minutes, stirring often, and then pour brown sugar over pecans and stir. Add a pinch of kosher salt and stir. Sprinkle another pinch of brown sugar on the pecans and then remove from heat and roughly chop on a cutting board.
- In a small bowl or pyrek with a pour spout, add all vinaigrette ingredients and whisk well. Set aside.
- Add feta cheese, chickpeas, shallots, and sliced apples to the bowl with the kale and mix well.
- Pour vinaigrette over kale salad and mix well.
- Add the pecans to salad and mix well. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Storage
Store in fridge for up to 4 days.
Vinaigrette can be made up to 2 weeks in advance and stored in the fridge.
Substitutions
Soy Sauce: Tamari is a great substitute, especially if you'd like to keep this gluten-free.
Maple Syrup: Honey is a good substitute, but you'd miss the great maple flavor it adds!
Ginger and Garlic: You can of course substitute fresh, but we find that using powdered better incorporates the flavor into the vinaigrette. If using fresh, just use 1/2 teaspoon of fresh minced.
Granny Smith Apple: Pink Lady's or Braeburn.
Pecans: Walnuts or hazelnuts are also great!
Nutrition
Calories: 369kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 416mg | Potassium: 416mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 2305IU | Vitamin C: 25mg | Calcium: 231mg | Iron: 3mg