Kale with Roasted Sweet Potato and Tahini Dressing
Kale with Roasted Sweet Potato and Tahini Dressing
We’re notorious in our household for reaching for one of two nut-butters. Whether topping oatmeal, stuffing dates, adding a hearty spoonful to our smoothies or mixing up a quick peanut-butter chocolate sauce, we typically reach for the same line-up: peanut butter or almond butter. But, recently, after recognizing that we had a jar of tahini wasting away in our cupboard, we made a commitment to bring more of this Middle Eastern condiment to our meals.
Tahini is a central ingredient in the commonly known plant-based spread — hummus. We’ve also been adding it to sweeter dishes to add a unique flavor and nutrients. But, one of our favorite ways to use tahini is mixed into a dressing and drizzled over salads and roasted vegetables.
For most of my recipes, I weigh out all the ingredients in grams. I highly recommend buying a kitchen scale if you don’t have already have one! There are many good scales out there, but this is the one we use.
Tahini Dressing
- YIELD: 2 1/4 cups
- SHELF LIFE: 7 days
- TIME: 10 minutes
INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 cup tahini
- 1/2 whole lemon, peeled
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
METHOD
- In a high-speed blender, add all of the ingredients.
- Blend on high until smooth.
- Store in a jar with a lid in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- YIELD: 3 servings
- SHELF LIFE: 7 days
- TIME: 45 minutes
INGREDIENTS
- 350 g (12 ounces) sweet potatoes
- 10 g (2 teaspoons) coconut oil
- pinch sea salt
METHOD
- Preheat oven to 190ºC (375ºF).
- Dice sweet potatoes into approximately 10mm (3/8 in) cubes.
- Toss in oil and sea salt.
- Spread out in an even layer on a lined 1/2 size baking sheet.
- Bake for about 45 minutes. Cooking time will vary depending on your oven! They need to come out crunchy but not burned. Check often toward the end of the baking time.
Assembling Everything
While the sweet potatoes are roasting in the oven, prepare the other ingredients. Make the tahini dressing, chop the kale, julienne the carrot.
Wash your hands well, then massage the kale with some of the tahini dressing, making sure to work the dressing into the kale really well, until it looks soft and wilted.
Separate from the kale, toss the carrots and sweet potatoes together and then toss with some more of the tahini dressing, enough to coat.
Add massaged kale to your dish, top with the carrot and sweet potato mix, and any other topping of your choice.
I topped this salad with freshly ground black pepper, hemp seeds and roasted sunflower seeds. Red onion pairs really well here, as does chopped pitted medjool date and cooked, drained, chilled chickpeas.
