Simple & Quick Kale, Tahini & Pine Nut Salad

Simple & Quick Kale, Tahini & Pine Nut Salad

Salad is not my go to in the winter as much as the rest of the year but slight tweaks to the shopping list and pantry can make it both more affordable and sustainable.  My go to for salad greens are spinach and arugula for most of summer but come autumn I am ready for Kale.  Not that it isn’t amazing all year round!  Kale takes a bit of prep (a beating actually) if you want to eat it raw.  I’m not really meant to eat it raw as it is meant to mess with my thyroid but frankly I don’t care.  I beat it to death and that realistically makes up for what cooking would.  Kale is tough and slightly bitter, but when prepared correctly is soft and slightly sweet.  Yes, please.

Here I have a massaged kale and salad with pine nuts rubbed with my favorite garlic tahini dressing.  This salad is a stand alone of Omega fatty acids, manganese and vitamins, and I use it for a base for daily salad excitement.  It takes only a few minutes to prepare and it keeps in the fridge for ages.  I’m not sure how long because I usually eat a whole batch within 3-4 days.  I’ve never had one last long enough to go off.

Remove the kale leaves from their stems and massaged them with olive oil and a spritz of lemon.  I will usually have some straight away but they are best left for 30 minutes or even overnight.  And when I say “massage”  I mean I rubbed the olive oil and lemon into them until they softened and then beat them down with a wooden spoon for good measure.  The first time my cousin described this process to me I had to laugh.  Who massages kale?  I heard of tenderizing meat… but this?  Well, Kale is the meat of the salad world so I guess it’s appropriate.  It is loaded with anti-inflammatory omegas, iron and anti-oxidants… more about that here. and when you add tahini dressing you have yet another nutritional powerhouse loaded with yet more iron, vitamins and fatty acids.  Add the pine nuts and you have all this plus mood and weight loss enhancers.  Gah… so good.  I could write about all the benefits of every component of this seemingly simple salad but it is anything but simple.  Instead, I have linked the ingredients for further reading if you’re interested.

Ingredients: (I will often double batch this!)

Garlic Tahini Dressing:

Method:

Massage (beat the snot out of) the kale.  A little extra virgin olive oil a squeeze of lemon  accelerates the maceration process. You could gently massage it… and most people do.  But as I have issues with my thyroid I beat it to a pulp.

Combine all ingredients for the tahini dressing in a medium to large bowl and either whisk until smooth or mix with an immersion blender.

Pour 1/4 cup tahini dressing over the kale and rub it into the leaves.

Sprinkle with the pine nuts.

Leave it as it is or add what you like to it.

Eat with abandon.

 

Simple & Quick Kale, Tahini & Pine Nut Salad

Brenna May
A massaged kale and salad with pine nuts rubbed with my favorite garlic tahini dressing. This salad is a stand alone of Omega fatty acids, manganese and vitamins, and I use it for a base for daily salad excitement. It takes only a few minutes to prepare and it keeps in the fridge for ages. I’m not sure how long because I usually eat a whole batch within 3-4 days. I’ve never had one last long enough to go off.
Prep Time 15 mins
Course Salad
Cuisine American

Ingredients
  

  • 1 bunch Kale
  • 1/4 cup Pine Nuts
  • drizzle extra virgin olive oil
  • squeeze of lemon
  • 1/4 cup Tahini Dressing below

Garlic Tahini Dressing:

  • 1 cup stirred tahini
  • 1 cup water if you like it thick like a dip, 2 if you like it to run like a dressing
  • 1/4-1/2 cup lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup Apple Cider Vinegar with the Mother
  • 2-3 cloves garlic crushed
  • 2-3 tsp coarse kosher sea salt or pink salt according to taste
  • black pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • Massage (beat the snot out of) the kale. A little extra virgin olive oil a squeeze of lemon accelerates the maceration process. You could gently massage it… and most people do. But as I have issues with my thyroid I beat it to a pulp.
  • Combine all ingredients for the tahini dressing in a medium to large bowl and either whisk until smooth or mix with an immersion blender.
  • Pour 1/4 cup tahini dressing over the kale and rub it into the leaves.
  • Sprinkle with the pine nuts.
  • Leave it as it is or add what you like to it.
Keyword kale, tahini

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