HIPPIE CHOPPED SALAD

YIELD: SERVES 8-10 AS A SIDE; 5-6 AS A MAIN

HIPPIE CHOPPED SALAD

PREP: 30 MINUTES TOTAL: 30 MINUTES

Nearly every color of the rainbow is represented in this salad with kale, crunchy bell peppers, juicy oranges, and more. Chickpeas, sunflower seeds, and pepitas add protein and crunch! All that and oil-free too.

INGREDIENTS:

SALAD:

• 1 bunch lacinato (a.k.a. dinosaur) kale, thick stems removed and leaves chopped bite-size
• 4 cups shredded red cabbage (about 1 small head), quartered and cored)
• 3 navel oranges, supremed (reserve juice for dressing)*
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 medium red bell pepper, cored, seeded and thinly sliced
• 1 medium yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded and thinly sliced
• 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
• 1/3 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/3 cup pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds)

DRESSING:

• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (use reserved juice from supremed oranges)
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. To a very large bowl, add the kale, cabbage, orange segments, onion, and bell peppers. Mix well with your hands, salad tongs, or wooden spoons. Top with the chickpeas, sunflower seeds, and pepitas.
2. Make the dressing. In a small bowl, combine the orange juice, vinegar, Dijon, salt, and pepper. Mix briskly with a whisk until combined.
3. Pour the dressing over the salad. Mix with tongs or two wooden spoons until well-combined. Serve.
4. Keeps refrigerated, covered, for 2-3 days.

To supreme your oranges, first cut off the ends. Then cut off the peel, following the contouring of the orange while saving as much of the “meat” of the orange as possible. Cut off as much pith (white part) as you can. Then cut pieces of orange from between the membranes out segment by segment. After cutting out all of the segments, squeeze the supremed orange into a bowl or liquid measuring cup to reserve the orange juice.

For the seeds, feel free to use raw or toasted, salted or unsalted. Whichever your prefer; they all work!