Kale and Lentil Salad

There’s an excellent reason a kale salad should be a regular in your lunch rotation - if you’re making a batch of it ahead, it just gets better and better as the days go on. Instead of how lettuce gets so soggy just minutes after you dress it, kale gets more tender and flavorful and, overall, more delicious. So, I love to massage a big batch on a Sunday night as it’s perfect to enjoy throughout the week.

This salad in particular is an all-time favorite from Bon Appetit, and is appropriately called the Just-Keeps-Getting-Better salad (they deem it a lentil salad, I call it a kale salad, but not matter what, it does keep getting better!). What I absolutely love about it is how it’s just packed with flavor (olives, feta, lemon) and texture (lentils, cumin seeds, crunchy almonds). YES the steps to make the crunchy topping seem like a pain, but trust me when I say just quickly whip them up on a Sunday and keep them in the fridge all week - you’ll be snacking on them constantly so you may even want a double batch.

Kale and Lentil Salad (from Bon Appetit, makes 5 lunches)

For the salad

• 2 heads of kale, stems removed and thinly sliced

• Salt

• 1 and 1/2 c dried lentils (I prefer brown or French)

• 5 oz feta, crumbled

• 1 c olives, pitted and coarsely chopped

• 3 scallions (the green parts, sliced)

For the crunchies

• 1/2 c raw almonds, roughly chopped

• 4 cloves of garlic, smashed with the back of a knife

• 1 lemon (use a vegetable peeler to peel a couple of thin slides of the rind, squeeze the inside for the dressing)

• 3 scallions (the white parts, sliced)

• 1/4 c olive oil

• 1 T cumin seeds

• 1/2 t red pepper flakes

First we’ll massage the kale. Place sliced kale into a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and massage with your hands until the leaves start to wilt, about 5 minutes.

Next we’ll cook the lentils. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then add the dried lentils. Cooking time will vary depending on the lentil you’re using - start tasting at 15 minutes, but they could take up to 30 to cook. What you’re looking for is soft but not mushy beans. Once cooked, drain and set aside.

While the lentils are cooking, make the crunchy topping. Combine the white parts of the scallions, garlic and lemon peel in a skillet with the olive oil. Cook over medium heat until the garlic starts to brown and the lemon peel starts to curl. When that happens, add the almonds until they’re starting to brown. Remove from the heat and add the cumin seeds and red pepper flakes. Let sit for 2-3 minutes, then drain through a fine sieve - keep the oil in a bowl for the dressing, and spread the mixture on some paper towels to cool (removing the lemon peel and the garlic - or you can chop them finely and keep them in!).

Now let’s put it all together: to the kale, add the cooked lentils, olives, feta, green scallions and crunchies. Toss until well combined. Taste and season with the lemon juice, reserved olive oil, salt and pepper to taste (I find that this dish is very flavorful and can be overly salty, so I save the salt and seasoning until the end and adjust to my liking each time).

I like to divide this into 5 portions and serve alongside a favorite protein, such as chicken breast or baked salmon.