Last week I finished my recipe for homemade spaghettios. Not to toot my own horn, but it was pretty stinking fantastic. Somehow, amidst the excitement of slurping down ring-shaped pasta bathed in cheesy tomato soup I misplaced the actual recipe. Can you believe that?
I have this yellow notebook that I keep all my handwritten recipes and notes in. I have searched my entire house, high and low, but there is no sign of the precious yellow notebook anywhere. Can you believe that? And on CHRISTMAS too. (hehe) Oh well, you'll just have to wait until I find the wily thing to get your reinvented junk food on. For now, you must settle for a healthy salad, packed with green vitamins and protein.
I know that not everyone is the biggest fan of kale, and while I might not be inclined to sprinkle it over my Wheaties, it certainly has its place. Kale is much tougher and heartier than spinach, but has an easier and more pleasant bite than something intense like brussels greens. That makes it pretty much perfect for a recipe like this one. I didn't want the greens to be too soggy, but I wanted them to be easy to chew, and hearty enough to keep up with the chickpeas. In this case, kale is king.
I used lacinato kale, but any variety will do. Lacinato is a little bit softer than regular kale, and it isn't spiky or curly, two characteristics that the kale haters in my life often complain about. If you are dealing with the kale wary, I recommend checking out lacinato next time you whip up a batch. You might not convert them, but you will hear less complaints.
A note on the Lemon Tahini Dressing: This salad would taste just as good with a drizzle of premade goddess dressing. Basically, anything with tahini and a nice tart flavor will do nicely. If you don't want to invest in a can of tahini, you're crazy because tahini is the shizzle grab a bottle of goddess dressing instead. Annie's makes a good one.
Roasted Kale and Chickpea Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing
Serves 4Ingredients
- 2 heads lacinato kale (dino kale)
- 1 18-oz. can (or 1 1/2 cups) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 1 lemon, juiced
- water, as needed
- salt, to taste
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Rinse the kale and pat it dry. Remove the stems by pulling the leaves off of the middle. Discard the stems, then chop the leaves into 1 inch pieces.
- Combine the cooking oil and sesame oil in a small bowl.
- Combine the salt and spices together in another small bowl.
- Toss about two teaspoons of oil with the chickpeas, followed by about 1/2 teaspoon of the spice mix. Spread on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silpat mats.
- Toss the remaining oil with the kale, followed by the remaining spice mix. Rub the spices and oil together with the kale using your hands. "Massage" the oil into the leaves to soften them. Spread the kale out on two baking sheets, lined with parchment or silpat mats.
- Roast the chickpeas for about 20 minutes, and the kale for about 10 minutes. The chickpeas should change in color slightly, but don't let them completely dry out. The kale should shrivel and crisp up around the edges. Give it an extra 5 minutes if needed.
- Mix the tahini and lemon juice together in a small bowl. Add a little salt to taste, and a little water if the mixture is too thick.
- Toss the roasted kale and chickpeas together. Just before serving, drizzle the dressing over the mixture.
