This little salad has it all. The kale gets tender in the honey-Dijon dressing and is perfectly complemented by crunchy radishes and pecans, tart dried cherries and creamy goat cheese.

Kale Salad With Cherries, Pecans And Goat Cheese

Ingredients for salad:

½ cup pecans
8 ounces kale
4 radishes
½ cup dried cherries
2 ounces soft goat cheese, chilled

Ingredients for dressing:

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 ½ tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 ½ teaspoons honey
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350℉.

2. Spread the pecans on a baking tray. Toast them in oven until lightly golden and fragrant, about 5 to 10 minutes. Toss the nuts once or twice to make sure they toast evenly. Remove the tray from the oven and set aside to cool.

3. Pull the kale leaves off from the tough stems and discard the stems. Chop the kale into small, bite-sized pieces. Transfer the kale to a big salad bowl.

4. Thinly slice the radishes and add them to the bowl.

5. Coarsely chop the pecans and cherries and add them to the bowl. Crumble the goat cheese over the top.

6. In a small bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients together. Pour the dressing over the salad. Toss until the salad is evenly coated with dressing.

7. Serve immediately or, for even better flavor, let the salad marinate in the dressing for 10 to 20 minutes beforehand.

Serves 6

Recipe from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook by Deb Perelman.

“Dim The Lights” is from the upcoming EP ‘Heatwave’ by Portland, OR-based band Wild Ones. It’s a hot electro tune that is perfect for the middle of summer.

Check out Wild Ones on the band’s Website where you can learn of upcoming US tour dates and buy their music.

Cheers!