One of the reasons I love recipes created by the super fabulous Giada de Laurentiis is her emphasis on combining quality, fresh ingredients to produce a tasty dish filled with a variety of colors, textures and flavors.  This recipe, featured in Food & Wine magazine, is just that and more.  Bite-sized pieces of kale, radicchio and Belgian endive combined with the sweetness of figs, the saltiness of tender prosciutto, the creaminess of blue cheese and the crunch of nuts.  She used walnuts in the original recipe, but I thought hazelnuts would be nice as well.  I tossed this lovely combination of ingredients together with a tangy mustard vinaigrette, but the creamy dressing she suggests would also be a nice compliment to this healthy and breathtakingly gorgeous salad.  This wonderful recipe puts a new spin on the classic flavor pairing of sweet figs and thinly sliced, salty prosciutto.

(To view this recipe, click on the following link: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/chopped-kale-salad-with-prosciutto-and-figs)

Tagged: Belgian endive, blue cheese, dried figs, figs, Food & Wine magazine, Giada De Laurentiis, hazelnuts, kale salad, mustard vinaigrette, prosciutto, raddichio, Salad, side salad, walnuts