Kale Salad with Chickpeas and Lemon-Tahini Dressing
Most people never consider using kale as a main salad ingredient. I used to belong to this group until I first encountered the technique of massaging the leaves – or as some prefer to call it, marinating the leaves. Whatever you call it, this method of working with raw kale leaves (or any cabbage leaf) breaks down the plant’s cells and wilts the leaf. But, because of the oil, many of the enzymes in the kale leaf are protected from reacting to air. The effect – reduced bitterness and no offensive sulfur-like aromas develop. The natural sugars emerge and
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Most people never consider using kale as a main salad ingredient. I used to belong to this group until I first encountered the technique of massaging the leaves – or as some prefer to call it, marinating the leaves. Whatever you call it, this method of working with raw kale leaves (or any cabbage leaf) breaks down the plant’s cells and wilts the leaf. But, because of the oil, many of the enzymes in the kale leaf are protected from reacting to air. The effect – reduced bitterness and no offensive sulfur-like aromas develop. The natural sugars emerge and the kale leaves taste far sweeter than pre-massage.
I use this massage technique in this salad to create an Eastern Mediterranean vibe by adding the chickpeas, onions and lemon-tahini dressing. It’s almost like having a hummus on a bed of kale…and really healthy for your gut!
This salad is now a staple in my household. It is simple to make, doesn’t cost much, tastes great and it is healthy. You can’t ask for much more than that, right?
Yield: makes 4-6 servings