This nutrient-packed kale salad is made with chickpeas, blueberries, pumpkin seeds and roasted sweet potato. Top with a savory tahini dressing for a flavorful meal!
I've made some variation of this kale, chickpea and blueberry salad for a while. While blueberries are not the most common berry to be used in salads, they sure are a great choice!
Lightly sweet blueberries complement the sweetness of the roasted sweet potato and the savoriness of the tahini dressing.
This salad can be made in just about 30 minutes, but it only requires 5 minutes of active time to make.
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The formula for filling salads
There's a formula for making tasty, filling salads: choose a base green, a protein source, one or two fruits or veggies, at least one healthy fat, and always something crunchy.
And, of course, the salad dressing.
For this salad, we'll use one of my go-to dressings: tahini goddess dressing. This garlicky, lemony tahini based dressing is creamy and flavorful. It's great to have on hand and takes just a few minutes to mix up in your blender.
Ingredients
Massaged kale. This dark leafy green contains iron, fiber, and vitamins A, C and K. Massaging the kale in your hands for 2-3 minutes tenderizes it and makes it easier to eat and enjoy. Not convinced? Read up on the process of massaging kale.
Chickpeas. These protein-packed legumes are a good source of plant-based protein and fiber. You can use canned chickpeas or chickpeas cooked from dry for this recipe.
Blueberries. The peach state actually produces more blueberries than peaches (in case you wanted a Georgia fact with your salad), so we'll celebrate the coming of spring in Georgia with this sweet Southern fruit.
Roasted sweet potato. Another important crop in Georgia, sweet potatoes are rich in Vitamin A. Dice them small and toss in a bit of oil, salt and pepper. Roast until tender and juicy.
Toasted pumpkin seeds. While toasting the pumpkin seeds is not required, it adds the ever-important crunch to this salad. I toast the pumpkin seeds for 4-5 minutes on the same sheet as the roasted sweet potatoes.
This recipe makes two large main salads or four small side salads. This salad works great for meal prep lunch or as a light dinner recipe.
Looking for more salad recipes?
- Warm Kale Salad with Roasted Butternut Squash
- Marinated Collard Greens Salad
- Crunchy Mediterranean Couscous Salad
- Roasted Fall Vegetables with Savory Tempeh
- Vegetarian Lentil Salad with Honey Mustard Vinaigrette
- Peach Caprese Salad
- Vegetarian Pasta Salad in a Jar
Kale Salad with Chickpeas and Tahini Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 pound kale (one bunch of kale, stems included)
- 1 medium sweet potato
- 1 teaspoon canola or olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup pumpkin seeds
- 1 cup chickpeas ~½ of a 15 ounce can of chickpeas
- ½ cup blueberries
- ¼ cup tahini goddess dressing
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Dice the sweet potato into small pieces; toss in oil and kosher salt. Spread evenly on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Roast for 25 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- Remove the stems from the kale. Roughly chop the leaves into bite size pieces. Using clean hands, massage the kale between your fingers for 2-3 minutes. The kale should wilt but not get mushy. Note: the massaging step is optional.
- Toast the pumpkin seeds in the oven for 4 minutes. An easy way to do this is to add them to the sweet potato sheet pan during the last 4 minutes of roasting.
- Combine the kale, chickpeas, sweet potato, blueberries, and pumpkin seeds in a large bowl. Toss with ¼ cup tahini dressing. Makes two main salads or four side salads.
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