If you have been following along lately, you know that I have been throwing together a lot of salads. They are just so quick and easy and versatile. You can throw anything in them and run out the door. And, I’m not one that can always go out to lunch, so it’s great to have this ready to go at work. I always include one or two things with it, like an apple or a yogurt, or a granola bar or crackers and hummus, but this salad really helps satisfy me and keep me energized for the rest of my day.
To me it’s hard to prep salads ahead of time because so many of the lettuces like spinach and mixed greens can get wilty (is that a word? I’m goin’ with it) really quickly. The great thing about kale is that I can go ahead and wash it, chop it and throw it in a bowl, or put together and dress my salad completely and it will still be good in a couple of days! For all of these reasons, I have been loving this kale salad. This is the variety I typically make but I put a few other varieties at the end of this post. You can either prep the greens and toppings and store separately, allowing for more variety during the week or go ahead and throw it all together in one large bowl! When I use this creamy tahini caesar (which I tell you in my post is by Cookie & Kate) I usually store it separately. If using a balsamic or some sort of vinaigrette, I’ll often go ahead and massage the dressing into the kale. It helps break it down a little bit so it is not so tough when it’s time to enjoy it.
Today I’m sharing this tasty, fueling and satisfying go-to salad with you. I hope you enjoy!
Happy Fueling!
Taylor
My Go-To Kale Salad with Creamy Tahini Caesar Dressing
Makes about 4 entree-salads (if using about 2 1/2 cups per salad)
INGREDIENTS:
2 Balsamic Roasted Portobello mushrooms (recipe and 3 ingredients in this post)
1 batch of Tahini Caesar Dressing (recipe & ingredients in this post, original recipe by Cookie & Kate)
7 cups chopped Lacinato kale (about 1 bunch)
5 cups lightly packed Romaine lettuce
One 15-oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds (optional but I LOVE adding these!)
Directions:
Preheat oven and roast mushrooms according to directions linked above.
While the mushrooms roast, whisk together the ingredients for the Tahini Caesar dressing in a small bowl (recipe linked above). Keep in the bowl or pour into a small mason jar (or other airtight container) to store and use throughout the week.
Add the pumpkin seeds to a small skillet and heat on medium heat. Cook about 5 minutes until the seeds begin to “pop”, brown and you start to smell their rich nuttiness. Yum! You don’t need to add any oil to the skillet because seeds naturally contain oil that will start to come out as the seeds begin to heat up.
Add the kale, romaine, chickpeas, tomatoes, parmesan cheese, roasted chopped portobello mushrooms and pumpkin seeds to a large mixing bowl and toss together with tongs or salad spoons to incorporate all ingredients.
Store the salad and dressing in the refrigerator separately to use throughout the week. Or, if serving for a group immediately, add dressing to the salad and toss until all well-combined. I would start with about 1/4 cup of dressing and toss all together. Add more dressing as needed or let your guests add it separately at the table!
Enjoy!
Nutrition Notes:
Kale: Did you know kale is a non-dairy source of calcium?! I try to incorporate it into any of my athletes meals that don’t eat dairy but will eat kale (that’s not often, ha, but I’ll take it when I can!) This leafy green also contains, vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, magnesium, potassium, copper and manganese.
Tomatoes: vitamin C, lycopene, fluid, fiber, vitamin A, vitamin K, potassium
Chickpeas: protein, thiamin, niacin, riboflavin, folate, copper, manganese
Pumpkin Seeds: protein, fiber, monounsaturated fats & some omega 3’s, magnesium, iron, potassium, zinc
Tahini: protein, thiamin, phosphorus, monounsaturated fats and some omega 3’s, copper, manganese
