When Chef Nathan Lyon, author of Great Food Starts Fresh, spoke to a group at Cancer Wellness at Piedmont, he shared his love for fresh, wholesome and easy-to-prepare food. Here, he offers one of his favorite nutrition-packed salad recipes – perfect for a quick lunch or weeknight dinner.

Yield: 4 servings

Salad:

1 bunch curly kale
¼ cup pine nuts
¼ cup toasted walnuts, chopped roughly
¼ cup toasted almonds, chopped roughly
¼ cup pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
½ cup dried cranberries, preferably unsweetened
3 large oranges
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
Kosher salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Vinaigrette:

1 medium shallot, peeled and diced finely (3 tablespoons)
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice (from the oranges)
? cup extra-virgin olive oil

1. Strip the tender leaves from the tough stems of the kale; discard the stems. Rinse and dry the leaves, then roll them up and slice into thin strips. You should have approximately 5 packed cups of kale ribbons.

2. Cut the peel and pith off the oranges, then segment them by cutting between the dividers. Discard any seeds, but reserve the juice for the vinaigrette.

3. In a medium container with a tight fitting lid, combine the vinaigrette ingredients, close the lid tightly, and shake well to combine. Or, whisk to combine the ingredients in a medium-sized bowl.

4. Add the kale, nuts, seeds, cranberries, orange segments, and crumbled feta to a large serving bowl. Drizzle half the vinaigrette over the salad and toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper, adding more vinaigrette if needed.

5. Wonder aloud why you didn’t make this salad sooner, then serve.

Note: Other optional ingredients that go wonderfully in this kale salad are sunflower seeds, diced avocado, and diced apples.

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