Strawberry Feta Kale Salad with Sumac Onions and Spiced Pepitas

summer salad series #2!

Hi! Welcome to “good mood food” from Kale Me Maybe’s Carina Wolff. If you’ve made it here and aren’t yet a subscriber, come join! You can expect recipes, musings, and faves in your inbox every Wednesday! Paid subscribers get even more on Fridays — right now I’m doing a 30-minute budget meal series! Learn more about the paid tier of my newsletter here. You can also try a week for free!

CATCH UP!

This is one of those weeks were I could definitely benefit from stepping away from my phone for a little bit, but when the news starts to explode and I start hearing about distressing events, the opposite happens — I become too plugged in and get stressed and overwhelmed.

But this week, I’m trying to be better! I definitely bit off more than I could chew over the past few weeks. Thankfully, I’ve been getting so close to the finish line, but I just can’t stop until I get there. I’ve almost finished cleaning out our house, which has put me in a much better headspace. It feels sooo good to see things organized and laid out nicely, and our house finally feels like it’s come together, after 3 whole years! Highly recommend getting rid of clutter.

Also, between the warmer weather and the pregnancy, it’s crazy how much my appetite has changed lately. I’ve been craving the lightest things — chia seed pudding, fruit, smoothies, yogurt bowls — very opposite of my normal cravings of big, hearty, savory bowls. I just get full so easily, which is again, very opposite of normal me hahaha.

One last thing!! something very big is happening behind the scenes which I will hopefully share in the next few months! It has been a long time coming, but the timing with it and the timing with bb coming is also a little wild. But I’m just rolling with it! Sorry to tease, but I promise I’ll share more details in the near future!!

THINGS I’M LOVING!

Summer for me = outdoor dining, and a nice way to elevate your al fresco experience is with a cute tablecloth. We got these cute gingham tablecloths on Amazon for our baby showers, and they add such a fun but chic picnic-y vibe. We went with the small sage checkered pattern, but there are other colors as well, and so affordable! And you don’t have to just use them outside — they work for indoors too!

How Siete comes up with so many good products, I will never know. Nor do I care, as long as they keep them coming. My latest obsession are their Mexican Street Corn Tortilla Chips, which basically taste like Doritos but are much healthier. They're made with avocado oil and organic corn, and I’ll give you a fair warning, they are addictive!

As you know, I love a 100% cotton dress, especially one that can be worn with a bra. I’ve been eying the Cosima Dress from Hill House for awhile, and now that I have one, I’m tempted to get more. I love how it’s tight and smocked on the top and loose on the bottom — really flattering, and bump-friendly also. I got a small and it still feels me, even at 8 months preg. Certain patterns are 20% off right now with code HAPPY4TH (not sponsored, just a hot tip I picked up from their website).

ACTIVE DISCOUNT CODES!

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Supplements

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Food

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RECIPE!

Welcome back to my summer salad series! As I mentioned above, I’ve been on a fruit kick, so I added some to my salads. This was a brainstorm recipe for an upcoming collaboration I’m doing with a restaurant. We went in a different direction, but I wanted this one to also see the light of day!

This is a kale salad with crispy cumin chickpeas, strawberries, sumac-marinated onions, spiced pumpkin seeds (pepitas), feta, and a honey lemon vinaigrette! I guarantee you’ll want to eat this on a hot day.

If you want to prep this salad ahead of time, I would leave the pumpkin seeds and chickpeas out until you’re ready to eat so they don’t get soggy. You want that nice little crunch as a contrast to the rest of the soft ingredients.

Strawberry Feta Kale Salad with Sumac Onions and Spiced Pepitas

Ingredients (serves 2)

Salad

• 5 cups curly kale, stems removed and roughly chopped

• 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, rinsed, drained and patted dry

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tsp cumin

• 1 cup sliced strawberries

• 3/4 cup sliced red onions

• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

• 1 tsp sumac

• Pinch of salt & sugar

• 1/3 cup pumpkin seeds

• 1/2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tsp aleppo pepper (or crushed red pepper)

• 4 oz feta, crumbled with your hands

Honey Lemon Dressing Vinaigrette

• Juice of 2 1/2 lemons

• 1 tsp Dijon mustard

• 2 tsp honey

• 3 tbsp olive oil

• Pinch of salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Start by quick-marinating your red onions. Add onion slices, apple cider vinegar, sumac, and a pinch of salt and sugar to a medium bowl. Massage the onions with your hands to soften, and then let sit while you prepare the rest of your ingredients.

2. Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper, and add the chickpeas, olive oil, cumin, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss together until evenly coated.

3. Line a separate small baking sheet with parchment paper, and add the pepitas, olive oil, aleppo pepper, and a pinch of salt. Toss together until evenly coated.

4. Transfer both baking sheets to the oven. Bake pepitas for 6-7 minutes until they’re just starting to turn golden (be careful because they burn quickly). Bake the chickpeas for 20 minutes, flipping halfway through, or until chickpeas are crispy and golden.

5. Prepare your dressing by adding ingredients to a small bowl or jar and whisking together with a fork until smooth.

6. Add your kale to a large bowl along with a little olive oil and a pinch of salt. Massage the kale leaves with your hands until the fibers break down and the kale is soft. Add the rest of your ingredients (cooked chickpeas and pepitas, strawberries, marinated onions (I left some of the liquid behind), and feta, and toss in the dressing. Eat and enjoy!

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT!

Last week, paid subscribers received a recipe for Green Chile Enchiladas! These are vegetarian and made with refried beans! And of course, cheese and hatch green chiles.

Just a reminder!!! Anytime you become a paid subscriber, you get access to ALL of the past recipes in the archive, plus one exclusive recipe a week! You can always do a free 7-day trial as well!