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By Sarah Beleski a recent ASU Nutrition Student

If you’re looking for a fall salad that will not disappoint, look no further! The first time I ever ate this salad, I couldn’t get enough! I could have eaten the entire bowl if my family would have let me.

This recipe calls for dinosaur kale (aka Lacinato kale) instead of regular, curly kale and this makes all the difference. My whole family eats this salad, from my 60-year-old father to my 3-year-old niece, which is saying a lot because they are very picky eaters. I prefer dinosaur kale over curly kale because of the texture.

Of course, if you wanted to use regular kale instead of dinosaur kale, that is perfectly acceptable and it will still taste great. However, the added bonus of using dinosaur kale is the look on a small child’s face when you tell them that you are using DINOSAUR kale.

Below is the recipe for the fall salad:

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch dinosaur kale, very thinly sliced
• juice of ½ a lemon
• 1 cup cooked brown rice or wild rice (you could also use quinoa if you don’t have rice on hand)
• 1 diced apple
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries
• 1/3 cup sliced, toasted almonds
• 2-3 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

Dressing:  

• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
• ½ cup olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp honey
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper (if you prefer less spice, substitute with black pepper)

Directions:

• For the dressing, place all ingredients in a glass jar with a lid and shake to combine. Set aside for later use
• Place the dinosaur kale in a medium-sized mixing bowl, squeeze lemon juice over it, and massage for 2 minutes until its dark and softened
• Add rice (once it has completed cooled), diced apple, cranberries, toasted almonds to kale and mix
• Toss with ½ of dressing (set aside for later use) and sprinkle with goat cheese

*This salad usually keeps for up to 4 days in the fridge*

Wondering what produce is in season. Check out the Arizona Produce in Season section on Fill Your Plates website.