Baby Kale Salad With Artichokes, Chickpeas, & Prosciutto Crisps

When it comes to lettuce salads, I have very particular tastes and very high standards. I like to use mixed healthy greens as my base both for flavor and nutritional value, and I avoid such everyday boring old lettuce varieties such as iceberg. My salads need lots of texture and crunch, and I prefer olive oil and vinegar dressings over heavier creamy ones. I enjoy making big salads that can become an entire meal on their own by adding protein in the form of meat, beans or nuts, and I like to add lots of fresh, seasonal vegetables when I can.

I was at a local specialty store recently and found a new variety of mixed greens that I had not seen before that contained baby kale and spinach. Although I do like to add regular kale to my salads, I do know that raw kale can be an acquired taste and isn’t for everyone. This baby kale mix by Organic Girl is great, because the tender little kale leaves are very mild in flavor compared to the full grown variety but still have that earthy green taste I like so much. If you cannot find baby kale, you can use baby spinach, arugula, a mesclun mix, or any salad greens you prefer. I was craving Mediterranean flavors and my salad was going to be our entire meal, so I added chickpeas, artichoke hearts, cucumbers, onions, sun-dried tomatoes, pine nuts, and prosciutto crisps. To dress this salad, I kept it simple and used white balsamic vinegar and olive oil, lightly seasoned with oregano. The ingredients I used in this salad melded together really well, the salad turned out great and met my high standards for everything I like in my salads. You could also vary this salad by adding cherry tomatoes, sliced olives, and sweet peppers without changing the overall flavors too much, and use sliced toasted almonds or walnuts in place of the pine nuts if you prefer.

• Kale packs a ton nutrition including vitamin K, lutein, vitamin C, beta-carotene, and it is even rich in calcium. Kale has a similar nutritional value like broccoli and contains sulforaphane, which is a chemical containing anti-cancer properties.
• Olive oil based dressings are a healthier option than creamy ones.
• A fat free source of protein, all chickpeas pack a high dose of folate, B vitamins, and iron, and are thought to lower blood pressure and cholesterol making them particularly heart healthy.