Kale salad with black beans, chilli and feta

Last summer we spent lots of time taking picnics out and about eating in the outdoors after the first lockdown of 2020. One of my favourite salads to make was this Kale, black bean, chilli and feta salad. With hope on the horizon for this lockdown easing, I am gearing up for all the outdoors adventures ahead.

Kale salad is something I tried hard to master for a while. Jim and I had had a great experience of a Kale salad in NYC at Wholefoods in 2016 and I have been trying to replicate it ever since. The key, I have found, is to steam your kale first and to leave it to cool/chill down. It takes the tough chew and the bitter flavour away and leaves you with a salad that is satisfying, flavoursome and fun.

I am big into salads but never boring ones. I like to throw all sorts together and it usually works for us all.

You can add more chilli if you like, including some fresh finely sliced chilli. I was keeping a lid on the heat so that the children could enjoy it too. We hope this kale salad finds its way to your lunch boxes this spring and summer! Jim is currently growing kale and chillis so I hope to be making this salad with some of our own produce in the coming months.

Kale salad with black beans, chilli and feta

Gemma

Kale salad is something I tried hard to master for a while. Jim and I had had a great experience of a Kale salad in NYC at Wholefoods in 2016 and I have been trying to replicate it ever since. The key, I have found, is to steam your kale first and to leave it to cool/chill down. It takes the tough chew and the bitter flavour away and leaves you with a salad that is satisfying, flavoursome and fun.

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Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 5 mins

Total Time 15 mins

Course Lunch

Cuisine Fusion

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

  

• 70 g kale steamed for 3-4 minutes just to take the edge off it but retaining some bite. Cool or chill ready to assemble.
• 2 tomatoes sliced however you like
• 4 piccerella peppers sliced however you like. sweet peppers or capsicum peppers can be used as a substitute
• 1/2 red onion finely chopped
• 1 lemon juiced
• chilli flakes a pinch
• 1 can black beans ~400g
• 100 g feta
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

 

• Squeeze the juice of a whole lemon in to a large bowl
• Add a good grind of black pepper, salt and a pinch of dried chilli flakes
• Add a table spoon of extra virgin olive oil and give it a good mix. This is the dressing for your salad
• Add your finely chopped onions, peppers and tomatoes to the bowl
• Take your steamed kale and roughly chop it. I like to have big chunks for texture mixed in with smaller chunks
• Add your kale to the bowl along with your black beans and give it a good mix to incorporate all the ingredients. You are looking to coat the whole salad with the dressing
• Divide in to lunch boxes/plates or howeve you are serving. I always add the feta at the point of serving by crumbling it over the top of the dressed salad. This is a really nice side dish at a BBQ and a satisfying lunch box salad all on it's own

Video

Keyword feta, kale, salad, wholefoods