Raw Kale & Spinach Salad with Smoked Bacon, Chèvre, & Toasted Hazelnuts

Directions

1. After frying the bacon, place it on a paper towel and allow it to degrease while assembling the rest of our salad. Note: We will later chop or tear the bacon into smaller pieces later and add to the hazelnuts while toasting them.
2. Wash and clean our kale and spinach, and chopping the kale into bite size pieces. Combine into a bowl or on each plate as a serving.
3. Roughly slice the red onion and avocado to add to the salad.
4. Place small crumbles or dollops of close to room tempature Chèvre around the salad, but keeping it toward the middle. Keeping it toward the middle will allow the warm bacon and hazelnuts bring texture and flavor to the Chèvre by lightly warming it, and almost allowing it to melt.
5. In a stainless, or similar, frying pan add the whole blanched hazelnuts on medium heat with just the slightest touch of extra virgin olive oil. Lightly rolling the hazelnuts around to coat and spread them around the pan. Toast hazelnuts for approximately 10-12 minutes, or until they are lightly golden brown and fragrant. Note: Watch the hazelnuts closely as you toast them, because they can burn rather easily.
6. While toasting the hazelnuts, chop or tear the bacon into desired sized pieces, and add the bacon to the pan while the hazelnuts are finishing their toasting for about 2-3 minutes.
7. Remove the hazelnuts and bacon from the heat and allow to cool for approximately 1-2 minutes, and then add to the top of our salad.
8. Serve immediately & enjoy! Makes a great combination with pan seared tuna steaks & green lentils, but that will be another recipe.