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||| THIS IS ACTUALLY GOOD by RACHEL FACTOR |||

Have you ever had one of those absolutely delicious big salads at some fancy restaurant but it cost you $25? You probably thought to yourself then that you could recreate this at home, but weren’t sure where to start. Well kids, I’m about to teach you the building blocks of a big fall salad. In fact, this can be translated to any seasonal salad (Big [fill in the black] Salad). It’s as simple as Greens + Grains + Veg + Protein + Dressing. This one pulls in the best fall ingredients from our island–kale, squash, and apples are the highlight, with support from my favorite bean preparation–the smoky chickpea.

My poor husband has to eat this in some form 2x a week–until the end of time. Last night I heard “Kale? Again?”. At least someone cares about his fiber intake. I hope you too can bother your spouse with this delicious meal that highlights the best of the season.

Big Fall Salad

INGREDIENTS

Dressing

  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon dijon
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3 cloves garlic, crushed
  • Italian parsley
  • Fresh ground black pepper

Salad

  • 1 cup farro
  • 8 cups dino kale
  • 2 cups butternut squash, peeled & cubed
  • 1 apple, cored and cubed
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds

Smoky Chickpeas

  • 1 can chickpeas, darined
  • 1 tablespoons liquid smoke
  • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • Olive oil
  • Salt

1. Start by making the dressing, Add maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, dijon, garlic, pepper, parsley, and salt to a mason jar and shake vigorously to create an imulsion. Taste for seasoning.
2. Pull or cut the leaves off of the tough stem of the kale. Wash throughly and roll into a cigar to chop into 1cm wide strips. Massage half dressing into kale for 1 min, volume should decrease substantially. This process will make the kale easier and more ennoyable to eat and digest. Allow the dressing to marinate the kale in the fridge for 20-30 min. This can also be done the night prior for an even more tender result.
3. Boil farro for 10 minutes in salted water, should be somewhat al dente (or to your liking). Set aside to cool.
4. Roast butternut squash tossed in olive oil at 400F for 30 min or until soft and golden brown, toss with salt
5. Saute chuckpeas in olive oil until slightly browned on all sides
6. To the chickpeas, add liquid smoked, smoked paprika, maple syrup, salt to chickpeas and allow this to reduce until no liquid is left in the pan.
7. Combine all ingredients in a large salad bowl–the other half of the dressing, massaged kale, pumpkin seeds, apple, and smoky chickpeas

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