Massaged Kale Tabbouleh with Apples, Almonds, Pomegranate, and Honey-Mustard Vinaigrette
A grain-free twist on tabbouleh: finely chopped massaged kale, with coarsely ground almonds in place of bulgur, crisp apple, pomegranate, red onion, and handfuls of fresh parsley and mint, tossed in a bright honey-mustard vinaigrette and finished with crumbled cheese and a dusting of sumac. It's hearty, it holds up beautifully, and it's even better after an hour.
Yield: Serves 4–6 · Active: 25 min · Total: 25 min, plus an optional rest · Best in North America in fall, when kale, apples, and pomegranates are in season · Best eaten: midday or alongside an evening protein
Ingredients
Salad
6 cups lacinato kale, stems removed, finely chopped
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and ¼ tsp Baja Gold sea salt, for massaging
2 cups almonds, pulsed to a coarse meal (toasted first, if you like)
2 cups apple, finely diced (skin on)
½ cup red onion, finely minced
½ cup pomegranate arils
½ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
¼ cup fresh mint, chopped
½ cup crumbled feta or goat cheese, or shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano
Ground sumac, for finishing
Honey-mustard vinaigrette
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp raw apple cider vinegar (or plain unsweetened kombucha)
1 tbsp raw honey
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 small shallot, finely minced
1 small garlic clove, finely grated
½ tsp ground sumac
½ tsp Baja Gold sea salt and black pepper
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
Method
Massage the kale. Put the chopped kale in a large bowl, add the olive oil and salt, and massage with clean hands for 1–2 minutes, until it softens, darkens, and shrinks by about a third.
Make the almond "bulgur." Pulse the almonds in a food processor until they're a coarse meal, about the texture of bulgur. Don't overdo it, or they'll turn into almond flour.
Make the vinaigrette. Whisk the lemon juice, vinegar, honey, mustard, shallot, garlic, sumac, salt, and pepper, then slowly whisk in the olive oil.
Toss. Add the almonds, apple, red onion, parsley, and mint to the kale, pour in the vinaigrette, and toss well.
Finish. Top with pomegranate, crumbled cheese, and a dusting of sumac. Serve right away, or let it rest up to an hour, so the flavors meld.
Make it a meal: Serve it with grilled chicken, lamb, salmon, or a couple of soft-boiled eggs.
Storage
The dressed salad keeps refrigerated up to 2 days (the almonds soften slightly as they soak up the dressing). The vinaigrette keeps up to 1 week. Add the pomegranate and cheese just before serving.
A note on kombucha: Kombucha contains a small amount of residual sugar and a trace of alcohol, so use the apple cider vinegar if you'd rather avoid them.
A note on honey: The raw honey in the vinaigrette stays raw, since it's never heated. Honey shouldn't be given to babies under 12 months.
Nourishment Notes
Traditional tabbouleh, from the Levant, is really a parsley salad, with a little bulgur, tomato, and plenty of lemon. Here, ground almonds stand in for the bulgur, and massaged kale gives it heft, so it's hearty enough for a fall lunch.
Kale — vitamin K (one of the richest food sources), vitamin C, folate, and glucosinolates, the precursors to sulforaphane, which forms when the leaves are chopped, massaged, and chewed.
Almonds — vitamin E, magnesium, protein, and monounsaturated fats.
Apples — pectin and quercetin, concentrated in the skin.
Pomegranate — punicalagins and vitamin C.
Parsley and mint — vitamin K, vitamin C, and apigenin.
Sumac — a tart, lemony Middle Eastern spice, rich in polyphenols.
Feta, goat cheese, or Parmigiano — calcium, protein, and vitamin K2.
Dijon mustard and raw apple cider vinegar — isothiocyanates and acetic acid, which help balance blood sugar.
For your cycle: The kale's glucosinolates support estrogen metabolism, and the almonds bring magnesium, making this especially supportive in the luteal phase.
Sourcing
Kale, apples, red onion, shallots, garlic, parsley, mint, and lemons — organic, from a farmers' market in fall
Almonds — organic and unpasteurized, like Terrasoul's organic Spanish almonds
Pomegranates — organic
Cheese — Greek or Bulgarian sheep's milk feta (Feta PDO), fresh chèvre from Cypress Grove or a local dairy, or Parmigiano-Reggiano DOP aged 24+ months
Sumac — organic and non-irradiated, with no added salt
Dijon mustard — organic, with no preservatives or sugar; Delouis Fils or Maison Orphée
Raw apple cider vinegar — organic, with the mother (Bragg)
Raw honey — organic, local, and unfiltered
Extra virgin olive oil — organic, single-estate, harvest-dated, in dark glass
Salt — Baja Gold sea salt
— Anna aka Food Marshall