Strawberry Kale Salad with Nutty Granola Croutons

Valentine's Day Tuesday. Connie and I don't do much for Valentine's — never have, thirty-one years of marriage and the only Valentine's gesture that matters is being present, which I am, and cooking something good, which I did. Made a steak dinner. Two ribeyes from the butcher, inch and a half thick, dry-aged, the kind of steak that costs too much and is worth every penny because life is short and I have survived a mine collapse and a disability and my son's addiction and I'm going to eat a good steak on Valentine's Day with my wife. Cast iron, screaming hot, two minutes per side, finished with butter and thyme and garlic. Rested five minutes. Served with a baked potato and a salad that Connie made because salad is her jurisdiction and I don't challenge jurisdictions that predate the marriage.

Connie ate her steak and said Craig, this is perfect. Not that'll do. Not not bad. Perfect. In thirty-one years of marriage, Connie has used the word perfect approximately four times, and two of those were about the children. The steak got the same word the children got. I'll take that to my grave.

Clay moved back to his apartment this weekend. He's been with us for three weeks, and he's steady now — back in the program, back with Dr. Rivera, back in the Thursday group. The relapse was a week. The recovery was three weeks. The math is improving. He packed his bag and I drove him to the apartment and helped him carry it upstairs and he said thanks, Dad, for everything, and I said you're welcome and I meant it for the apartment and the soup beans and the scrambled eggs and the drives and the parking lots and the silence and the hand on his shoulder at the card table and all of it, every minute of it, every terrified minute.

Walked every morning. Two miles. The cough is still there but shorter. The weight is down four pounds — 244 from 248, not a revolution, a beginning. I'm beginning.

I handled the ribeyes. Connie handled the salad — that’s been the arrangement since before I can remember, and I’ve never had reason to question it. What she brought to that table on Valentine’s night was exactly this: bright, a little sweet from the strawberries, something crunchy on top that I couldn’t quite place but kept going back for. If the steak was mine to be proud of, this salad was hers, and it held its own. Salad is her jurisdiction. Turns out her jurisdiction is worth documenting.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

For the Granola Croutons:
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/3 cup chopped pecans or almonds
2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
For the Salad:
6 cups fresh kale, stems removed, leaves torn and massaged
1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
For the Dressing:
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

Make the granola croutons. Preheat oven to 325°F. In a bowl, combine oats, chopped nuts, and sunflower seeds. Stir in honey, olive oil, cinnamon, and salt until evenly coated. Spread in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake 18–22 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until golden and fragrant. Let cool completely — the clusters will crisp up as they cool.
Massage the kale. Place torn kale leaves in a large salad bowl. Drizzle with a small splash of olive oil and a pinch of salt, then massage with your hands for 1–2 minutes until the leaves soften and deepen in color. This step is not optional — raw kale without massaging is a different, inferior experience.
Make the dressing. Whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, and Dijon mustard until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper. Taste and adjust — it should be slightly sweet, slightly sharp.
Assemble the salad. Add sliced strawberries and red onion to the massaged kale. Drizzle with dressing and toss to coat. Top with crumbled feta and a generous handful of granola croutons just before serving so they stay crunchy.
Serve immediately. This salad is best eaten right after assembly. Store leftover granola croutons in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.

Nutrition (per serving)

Strawberry Kale Salad with Nutty Granola Croutons — Connie’s Jurisdiction, and She’s Right