Ok guys….it’s time to get healthy-fied up in here.
I am still in Pittsburgh and so far I have stuffed myself with the famous Primantis sandwich! Which if you don’t know, is a traditional sandwich shop all throughout Pittsburgh. Their sandwiches have the french fries IN the sandwich, with fillings of either keilbasa or pastrami or cheese-take.
It’s pretty awesome, but also pretty heavy. Which is why….it’s time to get healthy-fied.
Why am I in Pittsburgh??? Well….my gf is getting marriiieddd!!!!! Like…tomorrow!!! Apparently it’s a Pittsburgh tradition to have lots and lots and lots of cookies at weddings! We have trayed over 31 cookies and more are coming! Biscotti and pizzelles and thumbprints and sugar cookies…it was nuts! You can find some of the fun pics on my Instagram!
But because I am too excited…here is what went down on “cookie tray” day!
Pretty nuts huh? So with all of the Primantis goodness and cookies coming out of my ears….I need a giant green, Kale salad! You can also read about the wonderful health benefits of kale here!
I made this delicious and easy salad right before I left. It’s hearty, flavorful and the dressing is ultra creamy! Chopped kale with a can of chickpeas, tomatoes and cucumbers make it a crunchy and super easy to throw together salad. I was also in the mood for a creamier dressing than the standard vinaigrette, so I pulsed together tahini with lemon, garlic and cumin to create a quick and hearty salad.
Chopped Kale and Chickpea Salad with Creamy Tahini Dressing
Ingredients
Kale Salad
- 2 cup kale chopped
- 1 Can chickpeas rinsed
- 3 Persian cucumbers peeled and chopped
- 2 Tomatoes seeded and chopped
- Small bunch of fresh mint roughly chopped
Tahini Dressing
- 3 Tb tahini
- ½ c water
- Olive oil for drizzling
- 1 lemon zest and juiced
- 1-2 garlic cloves chopped
- Pinch of cayenne
- Pinch of cumin
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large bowl, toss together all the salad ingredients.
- To make the dressing, add all of the tahini dressing ingredients into a food processor and pulse until smooth and creamy. Taste for seasoning and adjust as desired.
- Toss salad with tahini dressing and serve.
This salad looks yummy! I love using tahini for salad dressings too.
I’m embarassed to say that I had to google “Persian cucumbers” to make sure they were interchangeable with the cucumbers I normally see at the grocery store. This salad looks so delicious, and I can’t wait to make it in my kitchen!
Haha…sorry about that! Persian cucumbers usually have less/no seeds and are smaller. I like them better than regular cucumbers because of that!
Looks great! I haven’t tried using tahini as a dressing… might have to now.
Thanks so much Kayl! Please try tahini…just needs to be thinned out but tastes amazing with salads and veggies!
Hello Samantha. This is the 1st of your recipes I’ve tried as I needed a salad in a pinch. It’s great! I have a question for you plus a tip I learned for prepping kale that you may want to pass along to your followers. Since kale can be quite tough and almost unpleasant to chew at times, once you have cut the ribs out and have spun it or dried it in a towel grind a bit of salt on it and gently give it a massage. This helps break it down and gives it a nicer texture. You may then cut back the salt in the dressing. I also learned that kale is very durable and have left this massaged kale in the fridge overnight and unless I’m delusional [quite possible lol] it was actually better the next day. Chiffonading is also another method of making it more palatable. My apologies if this method has been covered in previous recipes.
My question is regarding tahini. Does it all generally have a bitter taste, and if so what can I do to alleviate that? Is there a specific brand you use? Maybe I didn’t add the appropriate amount of lemon juice so if that’s the answer so I may have to do a redo.
Thanks and looking forward to trying many more.
Darcy above the 49th