Favorite Kale Salad with Chickpeas

This recipe is my all-time favorite kale salad, made with chickpeas.  I have been making it for years and years and with a few simple swaps it never gets old.  One of the reasons it is my favorite and has been made time and time again is because it is so easy.

A long time ago I put a recipe up on the blog that was a riff on this one, my simple Mediterranean kale salad.  The flavors of that salad are delicious, but it’s not my favorite because it’s not as easy.  This recipe is easier because it requires less chopping and slicing (therefore less time!) and more of the ingredients are pantry staples.

I make this recipe for a fast and simple lunch most often.  It packs well into lunch boxes and can be prepped days in advance.  The only ingredients I don’t always have on hand include kale and feta.  If I’m growing kale in the garden, feta becomes a weekly addition to the grocery list just to be on the safe side.  If I’m getting a bunch at the store, then feta goes in the cart too.

Ingredients in my Favorite Kale Salad with Chickpeas:

1. Kale:  Builds the base of the salad with a superfood!
2. Chickpeas:  Adds protein.  I prefer chickpeas to white beans for their firmer texture.
3. Feta: Adds umami.  Use plenty.
4. Sunflower seeds:  Adds crunch, and a little more protein.  Sprinkle generously.
5. Dried cherries:  Adds chew and sweetness for balance.
6. Homemade Red Wine Vinaigrette: I always make homemade because it is so simple and easy.  The dressing adds a punch that cuts through any earthiness of the kale.

Variations to my Favorite Kale Salad with Chickpeas recipe:

1. Swap another bean for the chickpeas.  Most commonly I swap great norther beans or butter beans.
2. Feta is a must.  I have tried both blue cheese and goat cheese in this salad.  I love blue cheese but it just didn’t work here for me.  Goat cheese will do if feta is not available, but it is a second choice.
3. Use any seed or nut in place of the sunflower seeds.  I have used pepitas, sliced almonds, toasted pecans and/or walnuts.  They all work but I have sunflower seeds on hand most often (probably because I’m addicted to these chocolate seed bites.)
4. Use any dried fruit.  I have tried fresh fruit, such as fresh strawberries and fresh blueberries, but I prefer the chew of something dried and dried never needs cut up.  For other dried fruits I sometimes use cranberries, but prefer a fruit with less added sugars.  I didn’t enjoy raisins here.
5. Swap in another vinegar in the vinaigrette.  The most often swaps I make include white wine vinegar or white balsamic vinegar for the red wine vinegar.  I prefer something punchy to go with the kale, not too mellow or too sweet.
6. To pack this salad in a lunch box layer the kale, chickpeas, feta and cherries in a to-go salad container.  Pack the dressing in a spill proof condiment container and bring the sunflower seeds in a separate baggie.  Just before eating, sprinkle with sunflower seeds and drizzle with dressing.  Salad and dressing can be prepped and refrigerated for up to 4 days before eating.
7. To meal prep this salad, make this homemade red wine vinaigrette recipe and make 4 salads to go with it.