Vegan Blue Cheese and Kale Salad with Crispy Chickpeas, Avocado and Pomegranate
As promised, here is another recipe using our cheese. This time it is Tangy Blue’s turn to take centre stage with this hearty winter salad.
It is still really cold outside so I know January isn’t always the month you fancy a salad. However this salad’s base is kale which makes the salad so much more filling and earthy in flavour which i think suit January perfectly.
This recipe serves 4 as a main or 6 as a side dish. I had this salad along side a bowl of soup for my lunch last weekend and it was just perfect! It also lends itself really well to be portioned up and kept in the fridge for a quick mid-week lunch.
I wanted to share with you how diverse our cheeses are, so in this recipe, half of the block of Tangy Blue is blended into a creamy blue cheese salad dressing, and the rest is simply cubed and popped on top of the salad.
… and don’t forget to tag us in your creations @wildrootkitchen.
Vegan Blue Cheese and Kale Salad with Crispy Chickpeas, Avocado and Pomegranate
Serves 4
15 minutes
Ingredients
For Blue Cheese Dressing:
1 block of Tangy Blue (half for dressing and half chopped into cubes for salad)
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp finely chopped parsley leaves
125ml plant-based milk (I used homemade soy milk)
1 tbsp olive oil
For the Crispy Chickpeas:
1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed thoroughly
1 tbsp of olive oil
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp thyme
Salt and pepper
For the Salad:
180g kale
1 avocado, cubed
1/4 pomegranate
Fresh parsley
Preparation
Start by preparing the crispy chickpeas. Add a tbsp of olive oil to a large frying pan, once hot add the drained and rinsed chickpeas. Now add all the remaining herbs and spices and season to your taste. Stir together so all the chickpeas are coated and cook on a medium heat, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes.
Whilst your chickpeas are cooking make your dressing. Add half a block of Tangy Blue to a blender along with all the remaining dressing ingredients, apart from the parsley. Blend until smooth and then stir through the chopped parsley. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking.
Now prepare your salad toppings, cube your avocado and sprinkle with a little salt and lemon juice, cube the remaining Tangy Blue and if a whole pomegranate, cut into quarters and remove the aerials. Set these aside with the dressing ready for plating.
In a large salad bowl add the kale and a tsp of olive oil, massage the oil into the kale until it is shiny and softened. Don’t skip this step as kale can be hard to chew if not massaged. Now add half the dressing and stir through, making sure you can coated all the leaves.
By this point your chickpeas will be ready and you’re ready to serve. Pour the chickpeas over the kale, add the avocado and the Tangy Blue, sprinkle with pomegranate aerials and fresh parsley and lastly drizzle with the remaining blue cheese sauce.
You’re ready to serve… Enjoy!
