Tahini and Honey Kale Salad

This baby was created on a rainy day while in the lab. Having all of these ingredients I started to think about what they want to turn themselves into and this is what happened!

Salad
3-4 cups black kale (Chiffonade slice) 
2 cups curly parsley (chopped)
1 cup shiitake mushrooms
1 tablespoon sesame oil
½ tablespoon olive oil
1-2  teaspoons sesame seeds

Tahini and Honey Dressing
¼ cup tahini
2 teaspoons garlic or 2 medium size cloves
2 tablespoons roasted sesame oil
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons raw honey
⅓ cup water
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup rice wine vinegar

Method
Clean and de-stem the kale and thinly slice it (this is called chiffonade), add it to a large bowl. Clean and de-stem the parsley and chop, add it to the large bowl with the kale. In a small sautée pan add the olive oil and sesame oil from the salad ingredients. Slice the cleaned shiitake mushrooms in half and add them to the pan. Sprinkle with salt and sautée until tender. This should take about 5 minutes, remove from heat and allow it to cool.

Meanwhile, add all of the ingredients for the tahini honey dressing to a medium sized mason jar and use a hand blender to combine ingredients or use a blender. Toss the kale and parsley with as much dressing as you would like ( use your hands to get the dressing nice and snug into the kale and parsley.)  Place the shiitake mushrooms over the salad and sprinkle with sesame seeds.




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Black Kale Salad

I never thought I would eat raw kale salad and now Aaron and I eat it once a week at least. When you go to the grocery store you may find many kinds of kale. I much prefer using black kale or dinosaur Kale for this raw salad, it is dark green in colour and the leaves are flat and kinda bubbly. Kale contains a large amount of calcium for your bones, antioxidants which can reduce the risk of cancer and it is packed with vitamin K and C.

1 bunch black Kale
1/2  cup sliced *dried apricots (sulfate free)
1/4 cup crumbled sheep feta
2 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
1/2 diced avocado 

Dressing
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons flax oil
3/4 teaspoon Dijon
1/2 teaspoon fresh grated turmeric (or 1/4 teaspoon dry ground turmeric)
1 tablespoon raw apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon gluten free tamari (light)
1 teaspoon raw honey (omit honey for a low carb version)
1 clove garlic (minced)
Sea salt/ pepper

Method
Clean, dry and de-stem the kale, combine a bunch in your hand and slice the kale as thin as possible, add to a big bowl. Sprinkle sliced dates, feta and toasted sesame seeds to the kale and toss with as much dressing as you would like. This salad will last 3-4 days in the fridge without the dressing!

* Originally this recipe called for 1/2 Medjool dates, I revised after diving deep into the world of sugar and how it affects our health. Dried apricots have a lot less sugar content- about 4 grams per apricot vs 16 grams per Medjool date. Dried apricots taste just as delicious in this recipe just be sure to get sulfate free. Please feel free to use Medjool dates if you would like. Knowledge is power!

Cook Outside the Box
Add some cooked soba noodles to this salad and a little sesame oil, voila! A new dish or, cook some quinoa, toss it with the kale salad and wrap it up in a gluten free tortilla with some homemade humus and fresh tomatoes. Yum!

Bon Appétit!

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