Kale Salad with Tahini Dressing

I love salads but just not as much as I love, saaayyyy, a big steaming, cheesy bowl of mac and cheese.

Healthy?

Not so much.

Delicious?

You know it!

So when I come across a salad that is not only delicious, but so good for you and filling at the same time, then I'm obsessed.

My fabulous friend, C, who is also an RD and fellow lover of food, introduced me to this beautiful and bountiful salad.

It's filled with goodness and flavor and textures and colors.

It might literally be

THE.

PERFECT.

SALAD.

She discovered it in her Veggie Times magazine (she's a fellow pescatarian) and between her magazine and her profession, she's always opening me up to new and different ingredients.

I know I see kale a lot in the grocery stores and I put it in my soups a lot, but making a salad out of it was a new and novel idea for me.

Sometimes we get stuck in a rut cooking with the same vegetables and ingredients that it's hard to break out of the monotony of things.

Well, this salad definitely broke me out of my 'kale' shell and I was instantly addicted to it from the moment I put the first crisp and velvety bite in my mouth.

The dressing alone should be a post in itself.

I couldn't get enough.

There is tahini in it, which gives it this rich, velvety feel.

I love tahini and use it so much in my cooking.

Why I have never thought to put it in salad dressing before is beyond me.

But I'm so glad I know how good it is now because I will be making it lots more to come!

There are a thousand different ways you can dress up any salad, and this one is no different.

I shredded a carrot, sliced up some grape tomatoes, diced up an avocado, tossed some roasted almonds and dried cranberries in mine.

It was out of this world.

I'm not joking, I ate the ENTIRE bag of kale.

in.

one.

day.

I'm pretty sure that's not ok.

Kale overdose!

I ate like 5 bowls between lunch and dinner.

I loved every last bite.

I savored it, I devoured it, I couldn't stop until the entire salad was dunzo.

I did share a little of it, but for the most part, it all went down MY hatch.

So after all that salad eating, I felt like a walking vitamin.

Because kale, as you know, is jam packed with vitamins and health benefits.

For all the wonderful benefits of this lovely green veggie, go here.

So how could I possibly have felt bad about overdosing on kale when there are so many rewards to be had?

My body was so full of healthiness and goodness, that I had no choice but to follow it up with a delectable peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookie I made.

What?

Balance, people.

Balance.

Please try this salad.

I promise you won't be disappointed.

Go on.

Go 'kale' yourself.

ahahahaaha.

ba dum-pish.

wow.

ok.

i'm out.

SALAD:

2 12-oz bunches kale, stems removed

(I used a bag of already cut and cleaned kale from Trader Joe's)

1/2 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed

1/3 cup olive oil

2 tblspn. tahini (sesame seed paste)... I used about double this.

2 tblspn. Bragg Liquid Aminos, optional (I didn't use this)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 tspn. honey, optional (I used it)

That's all folks. Then you can add whatever you like to it. Here is what the mag recommends:

OPTIONAL ADD-INS:

1 cup chopped parsley or mint

1 cup grated carrots

1 lb. roasted red potatoes

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup toasted pine nuts

1 orange, divided into segments

1/2 cup feta cheese