Kale Salad with Smoked Almonds and Roasted Squash

A lovely hearty and typical winter-style salad, packed with fiber and veggies. Where we are from (the Netherlands) kale is in season from October till March. Dutchies usually turn this vegetable into a typical Dutch dish; ‘boerenkool’. It contains boiled and mashed potatoes with kale served with some meat like smoked sausage and gravy.

But kale is also very tasty raw and is perfect for salads. The advantage of kale compared to normal lettuce types and spinach, among others, is that it does not wilt so quickly. So you can prepare this salad in advance and it will still be crispy and tasty. Even leftovers the day after are still delicious. 

In this kale salad recipe we use butternut squash, pomegranate, feta, and smoked almonds. But you can use whatever vegetables you like to add. It combines very well with roasted vegetables like carrots, bell peppers, and eggplant but also with fruits like apples and grapefruit. Make sure your dressing is tangy/acidic and try to add something crunchy like pecans or (smoked) almonds; success is guaranteed!

Step 1
‍Preheat your oven to 200 degrees Celsius, clean your squash, and dice them into bite-sized pieces. Add the squash to your sheet tray and toss with 1 tbsp olive oil and the za’atar. Roast the squash for about 20-30 minutes or until tender and lightly browned. 

‍Step 2
‍In the meantime get yourself a large mixing bowl, add all the ingredients for the dressing, and mix well until everything is combined and emulsified. Now slice your onions and add them to the dressing. The acidity of the dressing will get rid of some of the bold raw onion flavors. 

‍Step 3
‍Now we add the (clean) Kale to the mixing bowl and we start massaging the dressing into the kale for about 2-3 minutes. This makes a huge difference in the final result and will make sure the kale is less tough when we serve the salad. Sett the kale/onion/dressing aside for about 20 minutes and in the meantime get the seeds out of the pomegranate and set them aside for later.

Step 4
‍Now we are ready to serve! Add the well-dressed kale and onions to a plate and garnish with your slightly cooled squash, almonds, feta cheese, and pomegranate seeds.