Kale-Pomegranate-Lemon Wonder Salad

Vegan, GF, Pine Nuts, Fiber-rich, Nutrient-packed

Kale salad with pomegranate seeds, toasted pine nuts, and a homemade lemon-tahini-herb dressing.

Makes salad for 6

For the salad:

1 bunch of kale, chopped roughly

1 pomegranate, seeds removed into a bowl

Pine nuts, roughly 1 4 oz container

*Avocado adds well to this salad too!

For the dressing:

Juice of 1 lemon

Herbs (rosemary and thyme are favorites)

Tahini

Maple syrup (or honey)

Olive oil

Grab your salad bowl and begin cutting the kale, slicing out the stem, and roughly chopping before tossing in the bowl. A trick I’ve learned from my seasonal-pomegranate-obsession is to cut a roughly 2-inch wide hole at the top and remove the knob and skin, this allows you to see the segments within and cut just once and break and peel from there. Add the pomegranate seed jewels to the kale in the bowl.

Next, make the dressing by juicing one lemon into a mug and adding 2 heaping tablespoons of tahini, a small handful of chopped herbs, 3 teaspoons maple syrup, and a half cup of olive oil. Mix with a fork or whisk until a creamy consistency, add salt and pepper (and any extra maple). Drizzle ¼ of the salad dressing on the kale and toss - this softens and removes bitterness in curly and lacinto kales.

I roast the pine nuts as a last step because I do it on the stove, so it has my full attention as nuts can burn quite quickly. Put the nuts in frying pan (no oils!) and cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until golden and brown in spots - about 3 minutes. Alternatively they can be roasted in the oven at 375°F with occasional stirs until golden-brown (5 to 10 minutes).

*** Coming Soon ***

What does this recipe do for my health? Notes on recipe-specific nutrient benefits and the gut-brain connection