kale and wild rice salad with maple-mustard vinaigrette

prep: 15 MINUTES | total: 15 MINUTES | serves 4

This salad is inspired by my favorite menu item at Cubby’s, a kid-friendly restaurant here in Utah that I love because they always have something the boys want to eat, and I can get something hearty yet vegetarian—plus a side of their incredible sweet potato fries (salad + fries = balance). The secret to recreating the salad at home is to start by massaging the kale, breaking down all the fibers with your hands so that it gets nice and tender and the flavor mellows out. Then you load it up with sweet, salty, crunchy, creamy deliciousness. And while it’s a salad best eaten the day it’s made, you could store it in the fridge overnight if you want to pack up something super filling to take to work.

MAPLE-MUSTARD VINAIGRETTE

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon pure maple syrup

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

SALAD

1 large bunch lacinato or dinosaur kale, stemmed and chopped

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Pinch of kosher salt

1 cup cooked wild or brown rice

1 large apple, cored and chopped (we like Honeycrisp, but Fuji or Gala will also work)

1 medium ripe avocado, pitted, peeled, and chopped

¼ cup dried cranberries

¼ cup toasted slivered almonds

3 ounces goat cheese, crumbled, or feta

1 Make the vinaigrette: In a small bowl or jar, combine the olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, maple syrup, and mustard. Whisk or shake until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

2 Assemble the salad: In a large bowl, combine the kale, olive oil, lemon juice, and salt. Massage the kale with your hands until the leaves soften, about 2 minutes. Add the rice, apple, avocado, dried cranberries, almonds, and goat cheese. Gently toss. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad, toss, and serve.