Superfood Fall Kale Salad

A classic Autumn kale salad.

I’ve eaten many versions of this lovely salad and I love them all, this is our favorite. What I love is that the ingredients are super nutritious and complement each other beautifully, without feeling you are chewing on raw leaves endlessly. Make sure you massage the kale with the dressing and let it sit for a few minutes before you eat, this helps break down the kale tissue so you don’t have to chew endlessly. To make this a complete meal add some chickepeas or cooked lentils to make it substantial. You can substitute toasted nuts like hazelnuts or walnuts in place of pumpkin seeds. It’s all good!

Kale Quinoa Pomegranate Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing 

Serves 4-6

• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 1-2 delicata squash sliced into 1/2 inch rings, seeds removed ( about 10 slices)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil + sea salt + freshly ground black pepper for the squash
• ½ bunch curly kale about 8-10 large leaves, middle rib removed and torn into small pieces
• Arils from 1/2 a pomegranate
• 3 tablespoons toasted pumpkin seeds or any seed of your choice
• 1/2 an apple sliced
• 1 cup cooked chickpeas optional if you want this to be a complete meal

Tahini Maple Lemon dressing

• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 inch knob ginger
• ¼ cup tahini
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil or virgin flax oil
• 3-4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons water or as needed to thin out
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt,
• In a small food processor, pulse garlic followed by the remaining ingredients. Blend till smooth. Add more water to thin out as needed.

Here’s How
Preheat the oven to 400° F.
1. Cook 1/2 a cup quinoa to yield 1 cup of quinoa
2. Slice the delicata squash into 1/2 inch wide pieces. If the rings are large cut them in half.
3. Place the squash pieces in a single layer on a baking sheet. Brush them with a little oil mixture. Roast the squash for about 20- 25 minutes. The squash is ready when slightly charred-golden and fork-tender. Set aside.
5. Place the kale pieces in a large bowl and spoon about 2-3 tablespoons of the dressing. Massage the kale with your hands so all the leaves are coated. The acid in the lemon helps to soften the kale leaves and easily digestible. Leave it to marinade for 10-15 minutes
6. To assemble the salad; mix the quinoa, pomegranate, squash, chickpeas, apple with the massaged kale and top it with the remainder of the dressing ( as needed, you may not need all of it) and pumpkin seeds. Serve right away!!