{Meatless Monday} Golden Kale Tahini Salad

We hit a milestone last week.

Evan and I chose our wedding menu. 

We both had such a fun time munching on a variety of dishes and making the final decision for what our friends and family will be eating on evening of our wedding. It feels like the right balance of heavier dishes (hello, mashed potatoes!) and lighter ones (I’m looking at you, roasted veggies).

But, choosing the menu isn’t the milestone I’m talking about. During the tasting, we discovered a kale salad that actually got the seal of approval from my not-so-kale-loving fiancé.

I’m really excited about it. So much so that I even attempted to create my own version of the recipe over the weekend.

Kale salads have the really wonderful ability to hold up as leftovers throughout the week; they don’t get wilty like other salad greens. In fact, they do just the opposite – they keep on getting better and better. 

This salad combines silky kale greens with the creamy tahini dressing, spicy roasted garbanzo beans and sweet golden raisins – it’s no wonder it got two thumbs up from even a non-kale lover! 

Golden Kale Tahini Salad

Ingredients:

5 cups kale, chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

pinch of sea salt

1 cup gold raisins

2 Persian cucumbers, sliced

2 avocados, chopped

For the Roasted Garbanzo Beans:

1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

½ teaspoon cumin

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

pinch of sea salt

For the Lemon Tahini Dressing:

The juice from one lemon

3 tablespoons water

3 tablespoons tahini

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions:

1.     Preheat the oven to 400 F.

2.     First prep the garbanzo beans. In a medium bowl, combine the garbanzo beans, olive oil, cumin, cayenne pepper, and sea salt. Spread the garbanzo beans on an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet and bake in the oven for 30 minutes, stirring once half-way through baking.

3.     While the garbanzo beans are roasting, place the kale in a large bowl with the olive oil and sea salt. Gently massage the kale with your hands to tenderize the leaves (it helps to lessen the bitter flavor).

4.     Next, prepare the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, water, tahini, and cayenne pepper. Set aside.

5.     Once the garbanzo beans have finished roasting, add the raisins, cucumbers, avocados, and garbanzo beans to the kale.

6.     Top the salad with the dressing and toss.

Enjoy, preferably with those you love.