Chopped Kale Power Salad with Lemon-Tahini Dressing

Good morning. I’m thinking about the fires in Fort McMurray and all the people evacuated from their homes. If you want to make a donation, the best thing to do is to donate to the Red Cross.

Today, I’m kicking off the Asian Canadian Film series. We’re showing One Big Hapa family tonight at 7:00 at the Metro Cinema. Some people think this is a one-time event, but we’ve actually got films showing all month. Next week’s film is a horror film called “Evangeline”.

It’s been really, really hot in Edmonton. It’s the beginning of May, and it’s currently as hot as it normally is in July. I love meal salads, and so you can expect to be seeing lots of them in the coming weeks.

Here’s one I made from She Likes Food, which is quickly becoming one of my favourite food blogs.

Chopped Kale Power Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing
(Serves 4-6)
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced (about 5-6 cups)
2 teaspoons and 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 bunch of curly kale, washed, stem removed and chopped (about 7-8 cups)
Juice of ½ large lemon
1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, drained
1 large avocado, pitted and diced
1/3 cup dried cranberries

1/3 cup almonds (I used pumpkin seeds)
1/3 cup chopped red onion

Lemon Tahini Dressing:
½ cup tahini
Juice of 1 large lemon
¼ teaspoon salt
3-6 tablespoons warm water, depending on how thick you want the dressing.

1. Pre-heart oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. On a large sheet pan, toss together the diced sweet potato with 2 teaspoons olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Bake sweet potato until you can pierce it with a fork 35-40 minutes, flipping once.
2. Prepare the kale while the sweet potatoes are baking. Add chopped kale to a large bowl with 1 tablespoon olive oil, juice of ½ large lemon and a ¼ teaspoon salt. Massage the kale with your hands and make sure everything is mixed together for about one minute. Set kale aside.
3. Make the dressing by adding all ingredients to a bowl and whisking until a creamy dressing is formed. Add the water slowly until desired consistency is reached. I found that my tahini was pretty thick, so I needed to add lots of water.
4. You can mix this kale salad into one big box and mix until combined, or you can divide it out into smaller bowls and make individual salads for people. I just made one huge bowl, and ate it over several days. If you’re going to do that, keep the dressing separate. I just kept the dressing in a mason jar, and then added it every time I ate the salad.