Isn’t this French kale beautiful?  I know, I know – the words kale and beautiful don’t normally sit side by side in the same sentence, but the dark green and purple all ombréd together and those perfect, rounded ruffles make it the ODLR of the vegetable world.I brought the above kale home from Elawa Farm’s garden market, tore it into bite sized pieces (which almost made me sad), massaged it with vinaigrette (yes, massaged it…we’ll get to that), and tossed it with ingredients that reside in just about everyone’s pantry.Kale and Chickpea Salad with Honeyed Almonds and Smoked Paprika Vinaigrette

serves 2 for a main course, 4 as a side

for the vinaigrette (makes 1 cup) –

• 1/3 cup sherry vinegar
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon fresh oregano, finely chopped (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
• 1 small shallot (about 2 tablespoons), finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

for the salad –

• 1 bunch kale (any variety), center ribs removed and discarded, leaves torn into bite sized pieces
• 1 roasted red bell pepper, from a jar or home roasted, cut into strips
• 1 15-ounce can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup honey roasted almonds, store bought or homemade (recipe to follow)

1.  Place all vinaigrette ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake vigorously until emulsified.
2. Add torn kale leaves to a large salad bowl.  Pour 1 tablespoon of vinaigrette onto the kale leaves and massage with your hands for a minute or two until kale begins to soften (kale will wilt in a good way and lose its bitter edge).
3. Add the sliced roasted bell pepper, chickpeas, and a tablespoon or two more of vinaigrette.  Toss to coat.
4. Divide salad among plates and sprinkle with honey roasted almonds.  Pass extra vinaigrette at table.

Honey Roasted Almonds

• 1/2 cup raw almonds, roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• big pinch kosher salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Whisk together honey, oil and salt in a small bowl.  Add chopped almonds and stir to coat.
3. Spread almond mixture evenly on baking sheet and bake for 8-9 minutes until nuts are light golden, stirring once during baking.  (Be sure to monitor nuts carefully – they burn in the blink of an eye!)
4. Allow to cool completely.

This cheery bouquet of yarrow also came home with me…how could I resist?