Colourful kale salad with berries, figs and feta

A salad that makes your heart beat faster

The taste and all the different colours in this salad will be sure to win you over. Salads can be so boring and tasteless, or they can be better than any warm dish! In this case, I enjoy every single bite, I pick every crumb out of the bowl and when it’s empty, I try to get all the leftover dressing onto my fork. This salad has it all: it’s creamy, crispy and crunchy, fruity, salty and juicy, and has a light, refreshing aroma. Kale contains plenty of good nutrients and is very versatile. You can add it into your smoothie, have it as a salad like in this recipe or even make kale chips. The kale itself is quite tough and stringy, so it’s really important to massage the dressing into the leaves for a few minutes so that they wilt and take on the flavour of the dressing.

Serves 2-3

♦ 400g kale ♦ 150g feta ♦ 1 ripe avocado ♦ Seeds of ½ pomegranate ♦ 4 figs, quartered ♦ 250g fresh or frozen and thawed raspberries ♦ 2tbsp almonds ♦ 1tbsp pecans, crushed ♦ Honey, to serve ♦ Lemon juice, to serve

For the dressing

♦ 2tbsp olive oil ♦ 2tbsp white wine vinegar ♦ Zest and juice of 1 lemon ♦ 1tsp onion powder ♦ 1tsp garlic powder ♦ tbsp peanut or almond butter ♦ 2 to 3tsp maple syrup or sweetener of choice ♦ Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1Remove the tough stems from the kale leaves. Tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces, then wash, drain and tip into a large bowl. 2Add all the ingredients for the dressing into a separate bowl and whisk until well combined. Drizzle over the kale leaves and massage the leaves with your hands for two to three minutes until they are shiny and have wilted. Try a bite and if the leaves are still too tough, massage for a little longer. 3Crumble

the feta over the kale. Halve and peel the avocado, remove the stone, dice and add it to the salad as well as the pomegranate seeds. Stir to combine. 4Toast

the nuts in a dry frying pan over a medium heat until golden brown. Take off the heat and let them cool, then crush them in a mortar. 5Divide

the salad between plates and top with the figs, raspberries, crushed almonds and pecans. Drizzle over some lemon juice and honey for extra freshness and sweetness. And now, enjoy every single bite.

VARIATIONS For the dairy-free and vegan option, don’t add feta – replace with grilled tofu, and use maple syrup instead of honey. For a reduced-fat version, add ricotta or cottage cheese instead of feta.