Kale & Crispy Chickpea Caesar Salad

I realize most people don't read 'kale salad' and jump for joy. You aren't alone because I normally wouldn't either. But that's only if it's an ordinary kale salad and this kale & crispy chickpea caesar salad is anything but ordinary.

It has all of the elements of a really great salad: hearty greens that don't get soggy, creamy dressing that's a total flavor explosion, crispy, salty 'croutons' and cheese.

Yes, there's cheese.

Let's start by addressing the kale. It can be a bit bitter when prepared certain ways, and it can be a bit too earthy and chewy when eaten raw.

But, when it's prepared in ways that help minimize that trait, it can actually be quite enjoyable.

And it's absolutely packed with brain-healthy nutrients (which is why it's featured in my MIND diet cookbook).

To prepare the kale for a salad, I recommend giving it a rough chop, tossing and massaging it in olive oil and letting it sit for a few minutes.

This will cut down on the bitterness and make the texture more palatable. Now it's ready to be dressed and topped.

Next, we'll discuss the chickpeas. Holy chickpeas, you guys.

I've always loved them, but when they go in the oven for a 30 minute heat bath, they become roasty toasty and SO SUPER CRUNCHY.

And before they go in the oven, they just need to be patted dry with paper towel, coated in olive oil and sprinkled with salt and voila! The coolest and crispiest croutons ever.

This Kale & Crispy Chickpea Salad is featured in my MIND diet cookbook! It is delicious and also loaded with brain-healthy nutrients!

Now for the dressing. I am so passionate about this dressing that I cannot possibly be dramatic enough to get my point across. I need to stand on the mountaintop and shout it so every single person can hear me.

For those of you who are traditionalists when it comes to Caesar salad, you may want to skip this part because it's not traditional. But it's SO GOOD and I don't feel bad about it.

There's olive oil (not usually an ingredient in Caesar dressing), mayonnaise (need that creaminess but only a little bit), so much garlic, so much black pepper, so much fresh Parmesan, a little squeeze of anchovy paste (don't be scared), fresh lemon zest and juice and a dribble of Worcestershire sauce.

Oh, and a bit of salt and a tiny pinch of sugar to balance everything out. Whisk or shake it up and let it sit in the fridge for an hour and OH MY GAWD things get real. Just trust me and give it a try. You'll wonder why we haven't bottled this stuff.

So the last thing is putting it all together. The massaged kale gets a dip in the freaking fantastic Caesar dressing and is topped with the impossibly crispy chickpeas and topped with freshly shaved Parm.

This Kale & Crispy Chickpea Caesar Salad may be non-traditional, but it's worth fighting for.

Now THIS is how you Caesar salad

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