Kale Greek Salad with Herbed Tahini

dressings & sauces mains recipes Mar 22, 2021

It’s no question that Mediterranean flavors are some of my absolute favorite. I find myself craving them in most any form, especially a Greek salad, more often than not. And for those who feel the same, don’t stop here! I also have you covered with these tasty options:

And since I’ve also been feeling a little run down due to lots of work and travel recently, I decided to take this classic to the next level with a couple extra, nutritious ingredients to get me back to 100%. Here I use kale (which I’m also having a moment with lately), as it’s my favorite green to pair with a creamy dressing.

Plus, it’s not news that kale is incredibly good for you – it’s actually one of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet! It provides a major dose of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that can help fight off cancer, lower cholesterol and heart disease risk, improve eye health and more.

For additional ways to reap these benefits, you can also dig into my Kale Salmon “Caesar” Salad with Crunchy Chickpeas and Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad!

For this recipe, I highly recommend massaging your kale in the Herbed Tahini dressing prior to adding all of the other elements for a couple of reasons. Not only does this “infuse” the flavors into the kale, but it also helps break down the fibrous, tough nature of this green. This ultimately makes it much more flavorful and easier to digest!

But this salad takes healthy (and tasty) eating even further with lots of other fresh veggies – bell pepper, cucumber and cherry tomatoes. Plus, the olives and sun-dried tomatoes bring a punch of flavor that always make me crave Greek salads.

As for the protein element of this recipe, the addition of simple broiled salmon is perfection, in my opinion. Not only does salmon take no time at all to make, but it also adds a punch of omega-3 fatty acids, B-vitamins, essential minerals and more. If you’re not a salmon fan, though, feel free to swap this out for chicken, steak or a plant-based protein of your choosing!

Once you’ve combined all of these elements, you can top it all off with some sliced avocado, fresh basil and red pepper flakes for additional flavor and texture.

Enjoy as the perfect weeknight meal or at-home dinner date! I can tell you first-hand that this nutritious, extra tasty salad is FAR from boring and is exactly what you need to feel your absolute best .

YIELDS2 Servings

PREP TIME15 mins COOK TIME13 mins TOTAL TIME28 mins

Ingredients

1 medium bunch curly kale, torn into bite-sized pieces
1 small bell pepper, diced
½ large Persian cucumber, diced
1 pt cherry tomatoes, sliced
½ cup kalamata olives, sliced
⅓ cup sun-dried tomatoes, sliced
2 filets of salmonabout 4 oz each
sliced avocado, fresh basil & red pepper flakes for topping
Herbed Tahini
⅓ cup tahini
juice of 1-2 lemons
1 garlic clove
¼ cup fresh parsley
¼ cup fresh basil
¼ cup water, plus more as needed
salt & pepper to taste

Directions

1 To make the Herbed Tahini, add all of the dressing ingredients to a food processor or high-speed blender.

Mix until well-combined and creamy. Add additional water if needed.

*Note* Dressing with thicken in the fridge as it sits, so thin with additional water and lemon

2 To a large bowl, add kale and Herbed Tahini to taste (this recipe might make extra to store in the fridge). Use clean hands to massage the kale for 30 seconds - a minute.

3 Add bell pepper, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, olives and sun-dried tomatoes. Mix well.

4 To make the salmon, set oven to broil.

Lay filets on a metal baking sheet, spray with avocado oil spray, and sprinkle with salt & pepper.

Broil for 12-14 minutes, depending on size of filets.

5 Divide salad into two bowls. Top each with a piece of salmon, sliced avocado, fresh basil and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes.

Enjoy!