Lemony Garbanzo Kale Salad with Tuna for #SundaySupper

by Dorothy Reinhold on July 15, 2012


Print This Post Print This Post Lemony Garbanzo Kale Salad with Tuna

It’s the year of kale, isn’t it? There are raw kale salads everywhere you turn.

My latest is this beguiling Lemony Garbanzo Kale Salad with Tuna, a main dish salad packed with protein and green goodness that takes a star turn at dinner and, with leftovers, an encore for lunch the next day.

My daughter, who I have nicknamed Krazy for Kale, is addicted to this. “Mom, always, ALWAYS have this in the refrigerator,” she intoned the other night, as she was packing her Redbor kale in the parkwaylunch with it for the next day.

Of all the addictions in the world, to have your teenager besotted with kale salad ranks right up there as most coveted. EVER!

I am growing Redbor kale in my front parkway, so that’s what I used in this salad. I’m proud of my green thumb, and encourage you all to grow kale, as well. It’s been easy! But use whatever kale variety you have in your garden or from the market. It’s all good.

Recipe: Lemony Garbanzo Kale Salad with Tuna

Lemony Garbanzo Kale Salad with TunaSummary: Light, lemony, packed with protein and nutritious kale, this is a main-dish salad that satisfies for dinner or lunch the next day, if you have leftovers.

Ingredients

  • 1 (15- or 16-ounce) can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 (5-ounce) can Tonno solid light tuna in olive oil (you will use the oil)
  • 2-3 tablespoons red onion, sliced paper thin
  • 2-3 large leaves Redbor kale, stem removed and leaves cut in a chiffonade
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 1 lemon (you will use 1 teaspoon zest and 2 tablespoons juice from it)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil (I used Calolea Meyer Lemon Olive Oil)
  • 2-3 tablespoons fresh basil cut in a chiffonade
  • 2-3 tablespoons fresh mint cut in a chiffonade
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • A pinch of EACH of the following:
      • Ground ginger
      • Dry mustard
      • Dried oregano
      • Dried thyme
      • Kosher salt (taste salad before adding)

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, add garbanzos, tuna with its oil (this will contribute to the dressing), onion, kale, garlic, 1 teaspoon lemon zest, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, olive oil, basil, mint, pepper and all dried spices. Stir and toss to mix well. Taste and add salt if needed. (The tuna and garbanzos will likely have salt in them, so taste before adding more.)
  2. Allow to rest for at least half an hour before serving (better for an hour or two).
  3. If you wish to serve immediately, massage the oil and lemon juice into the cut kale leaves for about 3-5 minutes to soften them, then add all the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine. You can soften the kale either by hand massaging it (for instant consumption), or by letting time do the trick.
  4. Serves 4 (main dish for dinner)

Quick notes

This salad holds up very well in the refrigerator for several days. In fact, I recommend making it at least 2-4 hours before you want to eat it, so all the flavors mix and mingle!

Variations

Try making a wrap out of it the next day for lunch. Wrap in tortilla or soft lavash.

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Diet tags: High protein
Number of servings (yield): 4
Culinary tradition: USA (General)
My rating 5 stars:  ★★★★★ 

This is part of the #SundaySupper movement, an idea to bring the family together for a home-cooked meal on Sunday. My family is lucky enough to be able to eat together each evening, but on occasion we find ourselves far-flung. It always feels better to reconnect over the dinner table, doesn’t it?

This week’s theme is “Beat the Heat,” which means all recipes need to be prepared quickly, and preferably, without the use of an oven.  Grilling or the crockpot are definitely perfect to beat that summer stove heat, as are cool, crisp salads, chilled desserts, no-bake dishes or refreshing drinks.

I can’t think of a better way to beat the heat than a no-cook main-dish salad. Let the adventures in kale continue!

Check out the other fabulous #SundaySupper dishes that #BeattheHeat, created by 55 talented bloggers participating this week:

#BeatTheHeat Appetizers:

#BeatTheHeat Salads, Soups, & Sides:

#BeatTheHeat Main Dishes:

#BeatTheHeat Desserts:

#BeatTheHeat Drinks & Cocktails:

Wine Pairings Provided By: ENOFYLZ

If you  would like to chat about #SundaySupper, join us on Twitter throughout the day Sunday, and at noon PST (3 p.m. EST) for our weekly #SundaySupper Twitter chat!  All you have to do is follow the #SundaySupper hashtag, or you can follow us through TweetChat.  We’ll be sharing great recipes and tips all afternoon, and we’ll be talking all things #BeatTheHeat during our chat.

 

Tagged as: #SundaySupper, basil, Calolea Meyer Lemon Olive Oil, garbanzo beans, kale, kale salad, main dish salad, mint, olive oil, raw kale salad, salad for dinner, tuna

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