Tumbleweed Farm's "Favorite Kale Salad" [Tangy Tahini Dressing]

 
 
 
 

This week we're sharing Tumbleweed Farm's "Favorite Kale Salad." Andrea Bemis, cookbook author and co-owner of Tumbleweed Farm in Mount Hood, is one of our favorites. We saw her speak once in Seattle, bought her book, and have since flipped through with such frequency that the pages now fall out.

We've been making this salad for years. The dressing, made with tahini, lemon, garlic and nutritional yeast, is incredibly tangy—a quality we look for in dressing. The addition of soy sauce/tamari/coconut aminos contributes an additional hit of umami. We feel absolutely no shame saying kale is the best green for this dressing. Massaged kale is the tits, and that's a hill we'd die on. The dressing is so tasty, we want to use it in abundance. And you know which green is compatible with hefty dressing and inherently anti-sog? Which green's lacy edges collect pools of crave-worthy sauce? KALE. We might even say kale is the penne of greens. One more thing about kale while we're here. For the many months that we can't rely on the beloved tender greens, cuz winter, kale is there for us through thick and thin. January kale somehow manages to be at least 70% as good as July kale, which is more than we can say about ourselves. It's relatively affordable, consistent and just needs a quick massage.

To massage kale, hold the leaf upside down, pinch on either side of the rib and run your fingers down to remove the leaves. Tear the leaves into bite sized pieces and rinse them under cold water. Pat them dry or use a spinner. Sprinkle the leaves with a pinch of salt. Sometimes a tablespoon of olive oil helps, too. Massage the kale until it's tender (2-3 minutes). It's as intimate as it sounds. Toss the massaged kale with your dressing and sprinkle with flake salt, toasted sesame seeds and nuts—whatever you want. This salad keeps well in a jar in the fridge for future salads, but it's also great drizzled on grilled vegetables, meat and inside wraps. As Ju might say: it’s a choose your own adventure. — Dak and Ju

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 large bunch of kale, washed and torn into bite size pieces

  • 1 clove of garlic, minced

  • 3 tablespoons tahini

  • 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

  • 2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

  • 3 tablespoons coconut aminos (or low sodium soy sauce or tamari)

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil (or water), plus more to thin if needed

  • 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast

  • 1 avocado, diced

  • 3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

  • 3 tablespoons toasted sunflower seeds, pine nuts or nut of or choice

  • sea salt

 

Instructions

  1. Remove kale leaves from stems, rinse and spin dry. In a large bowl use your hands to tear the leaves into bite sized pieces, then lightly massage the raw kale for a few seconds.

  2. Using an immersion blender or small food processor puree the garlic, tahini, vinegar, lemon juice, coconut aminos, water and nutritional yeast until smooth and creamy. Taste for seasonings and adjust as needed.

  3. Pour half of the dressing into the bowl with the kale and use your hands to massage the dressing into the leaves. Add the diced avocado, toasted sesame seeds, sunflower seeds a crack of fresh pepper and a sprinkle of flake salt. Divide between plates and drizzle with additional dressing.

  4. Store extra dressing in a jar or container for up to 1 week.

Serves 4, makes about 3/4 cup of dressing