Kale Harvest Salad

With salads, I live by the idea that once you nail the foundation, the details of each combination can flow freely depending on your mood, the season or the contents of your refrigerator. A green base, a raw or roasted seasonal star, a crunchy nut, a creamy cheese, something sweet or briny, some herbs to amp up the flavor and a dressing to bring it all together. For a heartier, cozier salad, I love the addition of a grain.

This salad screams fall with roasted honeynut squash, crunchy honeycrisp apple, some extra sharp cheddar and toasted farro. But remember - let it flow freely! Use whatever kind of squash is at the market, whichever apple speaks to you and any nut you have in your pantry. Prefer goat cheese over cheddar? Do it!

A fall salad is a great meal prep staple. Dressed and composed, I think a kale salad is still great the next day (Personal preference! But only the case with kale - other softer lettuces won’t hold well if dressed.). For extended use, store all ingredients like cooked farro and roasted squash separate and throw a salad together each day for lunch or dinner and you have a 3 minute lunch prepped for the full week.

Ingredients

Serves 4ish, keep this in mind if you want to meal prep

• 1 bunch lacinato/tuscan kale

• 1 honeynut squash

• 1 honeycrisp apple

• 1 cup farro

• 1/2 block sharp cheddar

• 1/2 cup almonds, toasted

• 1/4-1/2 bunch parsley

• Olive oil for drizzling

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Apple Cider Vinaigrette

• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 1 shallot

• 1 tsp maple syrup

• 1 tsp dijon mustard

• Pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Peel and finely mince the shallot.

2. Add shallot to a bowl or jar (I like a jar so I can easily mix and store leftovers in the fridge). Pour vinegar on top and let it soak the shallots for a few minutes.

3. Add maple syrup and dijon to container and whisk or shake to combine.

4. Drizzle in olive oil and mix to combine. Season with salt and pepper.

Squash

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.

2. If using honeynut squash, no need to peel. Cut any stems from top and bottom of squash and slice in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and discard or reserve to roast. Slice into 1/2in thick pieces.

3. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and spread into a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet.

4. Roast for 20-30 mins until squash is soft, not mushy, and starting to get some color. It’s done when you can pierce it easily with a fork.

Salad

1. Cook the farro while the squash roasts. Add farro to a pot with 4 cups of water. Season well with salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until farro is chewy yet al dente, about 15-20 minutes. Once it’s done, drain and let cool.

2. Strip kale leaves from stems and slice kale into ribbons. Add kale to a big bowl and drizzle with a bit of olive oil, a splash of vinegar and a pinch of salt. Massage for a minute or two until the kale softens and shrinks.

3. Cut apple and cheddar into bite sized slices or chunks. Add apple, cheddar and squash to the bowl with the kale.

4. Chop almonds and parsley and add to the bowl.

5. Pour on the vinaigrette. Toss well and serve. I like this salad at room temp but of course it’s great crispy cold as well.