Recipe: White House kale salad

Prep time: 25 minutes including time to make the dressing

Serves 6

The Obamas' Thanksgiving menu last year included this salad, made with kale and other ingredients harvested from the White House vegetable garden.

Make ahead: The dressing can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Whisk to recombine before serving.

Adapted by the Washington Post from a recipe by White House executive chef Cristeta Comerford.

INGREDIENTS

For the dressing:

1 medium shallot, minced

Juice of 2 medium lemons (about 6 tablespoons)

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1 cup olive oil

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

For the salad:

2 bunches young kale, washed and spun dry, stacked and cut into thin slices

1 bulb fennel (fronds, stems and outer layer removed or reserved for another use), cored and thinly sliced

4 radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced

2 jalapeño peppers, stemmed, seeded and thinly sliced

1 scallion, white and light-green parts, trimmed and thinly sliced

4 ounces Parmigiano- Reggiano cheese, shaved or cut into slivers

4 ounces spiced marcona almonds (1 cup; see note below)

INSTRUCTIONS

For the dressing: Combine the shallot, lemon juice and vinegar in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk in the oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

For the salad: Place the kale in a large serving bowl. About 10 minutes before serving, add the dressing to taste and toss to coat evenly. (You might not use all the dressing.) Add the fennel, radishes, jalapeños, scallion, cheese and almonds, tossing to incorporate.

Serve immediately.

Note: Spiced marcona almonds might be hard to find in a store, but you can make your own. Whisk an egg white in a medium bowl, add 1 cup of marcona almonds and toss to coat. Combine 1 teaspoon of brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin and 1/4 teaspoon of smoked paprika in a separate medium bowl. Add the almonds and toss to coat.

Spread the almonds on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees until lightly browned, about 15 minutes, watching carefully to make sure they don't burn. Cool before using.

Per serving (using half the dressing): 420 calories, 15 g protein, 14 g carbohydrates, 35 g fat, 7 g saturated fat, 15 mg cholesterol, 760 mg sodium, 5 g dietary fiber, 2 g sugar.

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