Willamette Valley Kale Salad

I’ve written about my obsession with Elephants Deli before when I shared my recipe for their tomato orange soup with you all. The saga continues here with a variation on my mom’s favorite salad from their selection. Their Willamette Valley salad has fresh greens, grapes, blue cheese, and hazelnuts- a tribute to the produce from the area.

Being winter, this salad pairs nicely next to a heavier dish. The kale is substantive and all the add-ins add lots of crunch, savory flavors, and sweetness! You can mess around with these ingredients and follow the Elephants’ blue cheese idea if you’d like, but I prefer a less smelly cheese (I’m still an amateur, guys, haven’t grown to enjoy that one yet).

Willamette Valley Kale Salad (makes 2 salads)

• 4 c kale
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 pink lady apple
• 1 to 2 oz fresh asiago cheese
• Handful of roasted hazelnuts

Remove stems from the kale and finely chop it up into bite-size pieces (or smaller). In a big bowl, mix the kale with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar and toss it a few times. Let it sit so that the kale softens a bit.

Chop up your cheese, apple, and hazelnuts as you like. Split the kale between two bowls and top with the selection!

Love from Oregon,

Marisa