Kale Salad Bowl

May 6, 2014

Kale Salad Bowl w/ Tahini

makes 4 bowls

For the roasted sweet potatoes:

2 sweet potatoes

olive oil

salt & fresh pepper

For the tahini:

2 garlic cloves

1 tsp coarse salt

3/4 cup tahini paste

2 Tbsp lemon juice

2-3 Tbsp warm water

2 tsp chopped parsley

For the lemon dressing:

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp fresh pepper

2/3 cup olive oil

For the bowls:

4 cups chopped kale, stems removed

1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa

1 15oz can chickpeas, drained

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

sesame seeds

salt & fresh pepper

For the roasted sweet potatoes: Preheat oven to 400˚F. Prepare a baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick cooking oil. Peel the potatoes and cut then into small cubes (1/2″-1″). Toss in a bowl with enough olive oil to coat all the pieces. Season GENEROUSLY with salt and fresh pepper. Lay the cubes out on the baking sheet in one layer. Bake for 20-25 minutes flipping the potatoes half way through.

To brown and crisp them a bit more, broil on high for 2-4 minutes. Careful not to burn them!

For the tahini: In a pestle & mortar, crush the garlic and coarse salt until it is completely paste-y. There should be no chunks. Add the tahini paste and lemon and mix until combined. Add water, parsley and mix again. It should be fairly loose. If the tahini is too thick, add another tablespoon of water until you’ve achieved desired consistency.

You can also do this in a food processor if you either don’t own a pestle & mortar, or if yours isn’t big enough to hold all the ingredients.

For the lemon dressing: Whisk all the ingredients together.

For the bowls: Toss the chickpeas with about 2 tablespoons of lemon dressing in a small bowl. Set aside.

In a large bowl, toss & massage the kale with the remaining lemon dressing, some salt, and fresh pepper. Massaging the kale will break down some of those tough fibers and make the kale a bit softer.

Top with the roasted potatoes, quinoa, chickpeas, and crumbled feta. Drizzle with tahini. Use as much or as little as you like. You can serve the rest of the tahini on the side as well. Garnish with sesame seeds and season with salt and fresh pepper.

Enjoy!

DANI’S NOTES:

Cook your quinoa in chicken or vegetable stock. Please! I know I’m repeating myself. But it really does make such a difference.
Seasoning and dressing each component of a salad turns a good salad into a great one. Treat each add on as it’s own little dish, making sure each component is delicious before adding it all together. This is called a “composed salad”.
This is perfect for a lunch to bring to work. You can dress it in the morning and it will still be perfect in the afternoon. Unlike, spinach or mesclun mix, the kale really holds up even though you’ve dressed it ahead of time.