Description
This versatile kale salad can be made very simple or turned into a hearty meal with some added protein and grains. Choose your own adventure!
Ingredients
Scale
For the Lemon Vinaigrette & Marinade:
- 1/2 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 1/2 cup olive oil, extra virgin and cold pressed
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt
- 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning (or 1 Tbsp. fresh basil)
For the Pecan Crumble Topping:
- 1 cup raw pecan halves
- 1 ½ Tbsp. nutritional yeast
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 2 pinches sea salt
For the Salad Base:
- 11/2 lb. chicken thighs, cooked and sliced
- 1 cup brown rice (sub quinoa or white rice for quicker cooking)
- 2 cups water
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- 6 pieces of prosciutto
- 8 cups of kale, finely chopped
- 8 fresh figs, quartered
- 1/2 cup shaved parmesan
Instructions
- f you use brown rice for the bowl, start by cooking the rice. It can take 45 minutes to cook. If you are making quinoa or white rice as your grain, you can cook it while the chicken thighs are baking in the oven.
- Mix all the ingredients for the lemon vinaigrette and marinade in a small bowl or Pyrex measuring cup. You’ll use a portion of the dressing to marinate the chicken thighs.
- Place the chicken thighs in a glass bowl or a large zip top bag. Pour ½ cup of the dressing over the chicken thighs and coat them well. Let the thighs sit in the marinade at room temperature, while you do the rest of the prep.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment.
- Place the pieces of prosciutto on the rimmed baking sheet and cook for 15 minutes.
- Make the pecan crumble in a food processor and set it aside. Process all the ingredients until it looks like coarse sand.
- Chop the kale and place it in a large mixing bowl.
- Remove the pan from the oven when the prosciutto is crispy and let it cool.
- Place the chicken thighs on another baking sheet with parchment paper. Cook for 15-20 minutes, until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees. Then, pull the chicken from the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes while you assemble the bowls.
- Add the dressing to the kale and massage it with your hands for a few minutes. This will help make the kale more tender.
- Crumble the prosciutto with your hands.
- Slice and add the cooked chicken and add it to the bowl, along with some of the cooked grain. Sprinkle the pecan crumble, crispy prosciutto, shaved parmesan and sliced fruit on top of the salad. Drizzle with a little extra dressing if you like, to taste.
Notes
- If you don’t have a food processor, you can whisk together the salad dressing and make the pecan crumbs by hand. A zip top bag and a rolling pin can be used to crush the pecans.
- Fresh peaches or dried cranberries or figs can be substituted for the fresh figs.
- To reduce cooking time, substitute cooked quinoa or white rice for the brown rice.
- To make this vegetarian, omit the prosciutto and chicken. Cooked tempeh or tofu are great vegetarian/vegan protein substitutes.
- Use dairy free cheese if avoiding dairy or eating vegan.