Kale and Brown Rice Salad with Cherries

• 1 cup loosely packed basil leaves
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped garlic scapes (about 4 scapes), or 1/4 cup young, green garlic
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 1/2 tbsp. sugar
• 1 cup cooked brown rice
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cooked and torn into bite-sized pieces or 14oz of Tofu cut into bite size pieces
• Fresh-ground black pepper
• 1 8 oz. can quartered artichoke hearts, rinsed and drained
• 2 cups chiffonaded lacinato kale (stems removed, leaves chopped into thin horizontal ribbons)
• 2 cups cherries, pitted and halved

1. Make the garlic scape dressing: In a food processor, pulse the basil, garlic scapes, olive oil, lemon juice, and sugar until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper to taste.