Test Kitchen: Green Kale Salad

Easy, healthy recipes tested for you weekly at the Sargent Choice Test Kitchen

Caila Yates, Graduate Dietetics Student, SAR ’20

About the Sargent Choice Test Kitchen: We’re all about making healthy taste delicious here at Sargent Choice.  That’s why we’ve teamed up with faculty-in-residence Dr. Karen Jacobs to offer students a one-of-a-kind opportunity to trial and taste-test new Sargent Choice healthy recipes each week at the Sargent Choice Test Kitchen.  Dr. Karen Jacobs invites students of all majors (not just nutrition) into her home on Boston University’s campus to cook up a recipe developed by Sargent Choice Registered Dietitian, Jennifer Culbert.  Feedback from the weekly Test Kitchen gets incorporated into future Sargent Choice recipes and helps shape the face of healthy dining at BU.

For this test kitchen, we made a Greek-inspired kale salad.  With a creamy tahini dressing, crunch from the sunflower seeds, and the sweetness of the sundried tomatoes, this wasn’t just any old salad!  Very rarely do we make salads in the test kitchen, but this one was so good, we just couldn’t pass it up!

What we liked:

  • The dressing was everyone’s favorite part. It was tangy with the lemon juice, and made the salad taste really bright and summery.
  • No cooking involved! This salad can be prepared and tossed together in a short amount of time, and you don’t have to dirty any pots.
  • People loved the sundried tomatoes and the Kalamata olives because of their distinct, sweet/salty taste.

What we would change:

  • Swap out the parmesan cheese for feta to give it more of a “Greek” theme.
  • You could add cucumbers or raw cherry tomatoes to give it more of a “fresh” taste.
  • To add more filling power, try mixing in a grain (brown rice, farro, or quinoa)

What you’re getting from this meal:

  • Vitamins A and K from the kale
  • Protein and iron from chickpeas
  • Vitamins A and C from sundried tomatoes
  • Calcium and vitamin D from the cheese
  • Healthy fats from the olives, tahini, and olive oil
    • See below for why fats are important to add to our salads!

Why is dressing so important for salads?

  • Fats help us absorb fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K) and get the most nutrients out of our veggies
  • Dressing can help a salad keep you full and satisfied for a longer period of time

 

Sargent Choice Greek Kale Salad with Creamy Tahini Dressing

Recipe modified from Cookie + Kate

Yield: ~ 4 servings

Ingredients:

Kale salad:
1 medium bunch of curly green kale (about 8 ounces), stems removed and chopped
¼ to ½ teaspoon sea salt
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
½ cup thinly sliced Kalamata olives
⅓ cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, rinsed and drained
⅓ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
⅓ cup sunflower seeds
½ teaspoon olive oil

Creamy tahini dressing:
¼ cup tahini
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (from ~ 1 lemon)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium clove garlic, minced
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons water
Black pepper, to taste

Directions:

  1. To prepare the salad: Place the chopped kale in a large serving bowl. Sprinkle it lightly with salt and massage it with your hands by scrunching up large handfuls at a time until it’s darker and more fragrant (this makes the kale tastier and easier to eat). Add the chickpeas, olives, sun dried tomatoes, and Parmesan. Set aside.
  2. Toast the sunflower seeds: Combine the seeds with the olive oil and a few dashes of salt in a small skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until the seeds are fragrant and turning lightly golden at the edges, about 5 minutes. Pour the toasted seeds into the salad bowl.
  3. Prepare the salad dressing: In a small liquid measuring cup or bowl, combine the tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, mustard, and salt. Whisk until blended. Add the water and whisk until blended. Season generously with freshly black pepper, to taste.
  4. Pour the dressing into the salad (you might not need quite all of it, so add about ¾ to start). Toss until the salad is evenly coated with dressing. Serve immediately. This salad keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 3 days.