{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.

(Holly)berry Mince Pies

I recently went out for dinner with my good friend, Holly.

Holly and her family are British. And they're the sweetest.

During dinner, we started talking holiday traditions. Every year, around this time, Holly and her family bake mince pies.

Holly tells me that the British take their Christmas fruit desserts very seriously. So much so, they even made a holiday especially for them: Stir Up Sunday.  It’s the Sunday before Advent where the family gets together to “stir up” their Christmas cakes, Christmas puddings, and mince pie fillings, "but they're all pretty much just variations of fruit cake," says Holly. 

I think it’s a holiday we should adopt in North America.

The trouble is, though, if you’re not a fan of fruit cake, you’re in a bit a dilemma. And with so many other delicious, fruit-filled holiday treats to turn your attention and tastebuds toward, it presents some steep competition. That’s why we created the aptly named, Hollyberry Mince Pies – because we think they’ll get your attention.

We started with frozen raspberries, and then added chopped dates for the sweet stickiness – without the added sugar.  Want to make it extra divine? Add a sneaky splash of brandy.

The best part about this recipe is you can add what you have. Don’t have pear? Use apple. No dates? Sub raisins. Want to add almonds instead of pecans? Go nuts!  The partner in crime to this amazing raspberry filling is Holly’s homemade flakey shortbread pie pastry. But for a quick fix, store bought pie crust pastry works great too.

The result is a recipe that, we've decided, can impress the strictest mince pie critic of them all: Holly’s dad.

(Holly)berry Mince Pies

Ingredients:

¾ cup frozen raspberries 

½ cup finely chopped dates

½ cup finely chopped pear

½ cup finely chopped nuts (your choice!)

½ orange – juiced

1 tablepsoon butter

1 tablespoon brown sugar

shake of nutmeg and cardamom

splash of brandy (optional)

batch/packet pie crust (recipe follows)

egg wash

powdered sugar for dusting

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients (except brandy) into a heavy based saucepan over medium heat.  Simmer for 10-15 minutes - stirring occasionally as not to burn the bottom. Remove from heat to allow to cool and add your sneaky splash of brandy, if using.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease mince pie tins or muffin tins.
3. Roll out pastry and using 2 different size round cookie cutters, or glasses, cut 12 x 3” circles and 12 x 2” circles (the larger one will be the bottom and the smaller one the top – you can also use a star/snowflake shape cookie cutter for the top)
4. Line the mince pie/muffin tin with the larger circles of pastry. Fill each with about 1 tablespoon of raspberry filling and top with smaller circle or pastry shape. Cut small steam vents, brush lightly with egg wash, and bake for about 16 minutes or until golden.

Pie Crust: Let us introduce to a buttery crust perfect for any holiday treat.

1 ¼ cup all purpose flour

¼ cup powdered sugar

1 stick unsalted butter

sprinkle of salt

ice water

1. Mix flour, sugar and salt in large bowl.
2. Cut in cold butter until flour resembles course breadcrumbs.
3. Add just enough water to bring into a ball. 
4. Allow to rest in fridge for at least 30 minutes.
5. Handle lightly and roll out on floured surface.

Enjoy, preferably with those you love. Happy holly-days!