Avocado, Chickpea and Kale Salad

When my son was younger, he didn’t give me much trouble about eating his fruits and vegetables along with the things he enjoyed eating. He liked broccoli, raw carrots, apples, bananas, you name it. Once he entered middle school and gained a bit more independence, it was a bit of a battle. His palette just completely shifted to all things, carbs, cheese and chips. Greens? Yuck. He constantly teased me about my Kale eating habits, as if I was in some sort of a leafy cult.

Fast forward to me switching his doctor to a naturopath and his current classes about health, he now is a founding member of the leaf eating cult. Well, not exactly. But he certainly stopped giving me a hard time about it. Does he love it? No. But he likes the way it makes his skin look. Because, girls. And that’s fine by me. Deep down, he does know that his body needs the minerals found in greens even if he doesn’t care to admit it. He eats a salad or drinks a green juice everyday. Rumor has it that he’s even gone to the natural market near our house after school to buy green juices there (but don’t tell him I told you).

Related: Mashed cauliflower

Teens get bored easily, so I needed to step up my salad game to keep him interested. Leafy greens can be quite boring and uninspiring if you don’t try new things to switch it up. To keep the fat content down, I stick with olive oil, vinegar and/or lemon but I add different textures and flavors whenever I can. My son and I love our legumes so I used this kale, avocado and chickpea salad recipe .. and it did not disappoint. The chickpeas gave it that perfect amount of hearty that made it great for a solid meal. Have a try!