Swiss chard + cherries + pistachios + avocado dressing = delicious. 

Who knew that adding some cherries to a salad could be so darn tasty?  I sure didn’t.  I mean, I love cherries and they are EVERYWHERE right now but I always go the dessert route.  In fact, I have a play on cobbler coming your way featuring cherries (and a secret ingredient!) but I didn’t think to try them in a savory type dish.  I wanted to make a salad recipe for my mid-week dinner post and I saw the cherries sitting there and I thought “Why not?”

I’m also having a moment with raw pistachios right now.  Not only are they really pretty but they taste amazing.  I feel like pistachios don’t get enough credit but they are one of the healthiest nuts out there.  I mean just look at this: 

Pretty impressive right?  Ok, now that I’ve convinced you that cherries and pistachios are bomb salad ingredients, let’s talk about massaging your salad.  No, it isn’t stressed out and doesn’t need to unwind after a long day.  Massaging dark leafy greens like kale and all its variations and Swiss chard helps break down the cell walls a little bit before you start eating.  This allows it to be more palatable/less bitter, absorb some flavor from the dressing, and make your salad awesome.  If you’ve had a kale or Swiss chard salad before that wasn’t massaged and just couldn’t finish it, try giving it a little love.  It’s weird to get all intimate with your salad but trust me it pays off in the end.

So.  Let’s review:

• Cherries + Pistachios are a good salad topper
• There is a cobbler in this blog’s future
• Pistachios are uber healthy
• Massaging your greens may feel awkward but tastes so much better
• This is a great salad for a mid-week meal

Make a big batch of this tonight and you can have salad leftovers for lunch.  And with most things, this salad just gets better with time.

Swiss Chard & Cherry Salad with Avocado Dressing

• 2 tbsp avocado dressing (recipe below)
• juice of 1 lime (about 1/4 cup)
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 bunches Swiss chard, stems removed and chopped into bite size pieces
• 1 cup cherries, quartered
• 1/2 cup raw pistachios
• 1 shallot, finely diced
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds

1. Rinse the Swiss chard and let it dry while you mix together the lime juice and olive oil.  Place dried and cut chard into a large bowl and then pour the olive oil mixture over the leaves.  With clean hands, massage the leaves for 1 to 2 minutes until the leaves are broken down and nice and soft.
2. Add the two tablespoons of avocado dressing and mix with a spatula to make sure all the leaves are coated.
3. Add in the cherries, pistachios, and shallots and stir to combine.
4. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds right before serving.

Avocado Dressing 

• 1 avocado (about 1 cup diced)
• 1/3 cup full-fat coconut milk
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 3-4 tbsp fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper

1. Place all the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.  Keep in an airtight jar in the fridge for about a week.

Add some chicken, steak , beans, or lentils to this salad and you’ve got yourself a quick and healthy meal!  Plus extra dressing to use throughout the week as a way to spruce up your meals.  How about that for meal prepping on the fly?