This mustard-marinated kale salad with caramelized onions and spicy chickpeas recipe popped right out at me when I received the new Bobby Flay Fit cookbook from Crown Publishing for this sponsored giveaway.
It was the mention of chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans) that caught my eye initially, but I know kale packs a wallop of calcium and vitamins and I’m on the road to a better me this year, so recipes for a healthy lifestyle are just what this girl needs.
Don’t worry… I’ll still be making sweet and savory delights, but I’m just going to taste more and eat less of them, and taste more and eat more of the good-for-me stuff… like this healthy vegan salad recipe from Bobby Flay Fit.
Mustard-Marinated Kale Salad with Caramelized Onions and Spicy Chickpeas
Doesn’t it look amazing? I assure you it’s as delicious as it looks!
It’s just one of the 200 “cook, eat and be fit” recipes from Bobby Flay in his latest cookbook. I love his approach to healthy eating. He’s not about eliminating things from diets; he’s about adding flavor, and that’s exactly what I love the most about this kale salad recipe. Every bite is so full of flavor that your taste buds nearly sing.
With a profession that has him constantly developing and tasting new recipes, chef Bobby Flay does not eschew any foods: bread, bacon, and butter are still all on the table. His secret to staying healthy is to have on hand an arsenal of low-calorie flavor bombs—like rubs, relishes, and marinades—to transform lean proteins, whole grains, and fresh produce into craveworthy meals at home. In Bobby Flay Fit, Bobby shares smoothies and juices, breakfast bowls, snacks to fuel workouts, hearty salads, nourishing soups, satisfying dinners, and lightened-up desserts. With fitness tips and a look into the chef’s daily healthy routines, this cookbook is for those who want to eat right without overhauling their pantries or sacrificing taste.
I must confess that I was a little intimidated by the recipe initially because chefs don’t always take shortcuts, and it looked pretty involved at first glance. (And I’m lazy.)
But it wasn’t nearly as time-consuming or difficult as I’d feared, and with a single bite, I was a believer. I honestly am floored by how much flavor is in this seemingly simple salad. Bobby Flay is a genius, I tell ya.
BOBBY FLAY, New York Times bestselling author and lifelong runner, is the chef-owner of the fine-dining restaurants Gato, Bar Americain, Mesa Grill, and Bobby Flay Steak and numerous Bobby’s Burger Palaces. He is the host of many popular cooking shows on Food Network—from the Emmy-winning Bobby Flay’s Barbecue Addiction to Iron Chef America, Beat Bobby Flay, and Food Network Star—as well as Brunch @ Bobby’s on Cooking Channel and the online series Bobby Flay Fit.
photo credit: Michael Crook
Mustard-Marinated Kale Salad with Caramelized Onions and Spicy Chickpeas
Ingredients
Caramelized Onions
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large sweet onion halved and thinly sliced
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Kale Salad
- ½ teaspoons yellow mustard seeds
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 6 ounces curly kale stemmed, leaves finely shredded
- 1 cup roasted chickpeas seasoned with paprika and ground coriander
Spicy Chickpeas
- 2 tablespoons canola or olive oil
- 2 15.5-ounce cans chickpeas drained, rinsed well, and drained well again on paper towels
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- ½ tablespoon paprika
- ½ tablespoon ground coriander
Instructions
- Caramelize the onion: In a large nonstick saute pan, heat the oil over medium heat until it begins to shimmer. Add the onion and cook, slowly, until the onion begins to caramelize and turn lightly golden brown, about 20 minutes. Add the vinegar and continue cooking until the onion is deep golden brown, 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Start the salad: Heat a small pan over low heat, add the mustard seeds, and cook, shaking the pan a few times until toasted lightly, about 3 minutes. Remove and let cool slightly.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, and salt and pepper to taste. Add the oil slowly, whisking to emulsify. Stir in the mustard seeds. Add the kale and toss with tongs until completely dressed. Let sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes.
- Transfer to a serving bowl and top with the caramelized onions and roasted chickpeas.
Spicy Chickpeas
- Preheat the oven to 400° F.
- Heat the oil in a large ovenproof saute pan over high heat until it begins to shimmer. Add the chickpeas and season with salt, pepper, paprika and ground coriander. Stir to make sure the chickpeas are evenly coated.
- Transfer the chickpeas to the oven and roast, stirring once or twice, until the chickpeas are lightly golden brown and crisp, about 20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, add more salt if desired. Serve hot or at room temperature.
