This is our go-to salad when we need serious veges but still want something substantial and filling. I’ve taken this salad to a BBQ and had a grown man eat it straight from the salad bowl! I’ve added a small amount of naturally cured, free range bacon to keep the carnivores happy, but this is entirely optional.

There are 3 secrets to turning kale from a tough, bitter weed into a delicious salad vegetable:

1. Season it with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
2. Be prepared to spend about 10 minutes massaging the seasoning into the chopped kale leaves, until they turn dark green and soft.
3. Let the massaged kale sit for at least 20 minutes before eating to allow the flavours to infuse and the leaves to continue to soften.

For the kale:

1 bunch kale

2 tablespoons olive oil

Juice of half a lemon

Salt and pepper

For the salad:

1 carrot, grated or sliced

2 radishes, sliced

1/2 cup of mung bean sprouts

3/4 cup snow peas, chopped

1 block of haloumi cheese, sliced

4 rashers of free-range streaky bacon, cut into pieces

1/2 cup of raw macadmia nuts

For the dressing:

1 big handful of coriander leaves

2 spring onions

2 tablespoons of yogurt

Juice of half a lemon

Wash, chop, season and massage the kale. Leave to rest while you prepare the rest of the salad vegetables, and mix them all in a big platter. Fry the bacon, remove from pan, fry the haloumi on both sides and remove, then toast the macadamias until lightly brown. Sprinkle all of these over the vegetables.

In a high-speed blender, blend the dressing ingredients until smooth and creamy. Spoon over the top of the salad and get into it!