To confess, I’ve never had a “Caesar Salad”. When I was a kid the picky eater in me always avoided white, mysterious condiments like mayonnaise, sour cream, and Caesar dressing. I still have not reached out to these foods, but despite this fact, I venture to say this tahini-based dressing is levels above its traditional counterpart. The simple combo of tahini, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper harkens the familiar feels of Caesar (I would imagine) but with so much flavor and is easily made at home with real food ingredients!
This dressing can dress up any salad, but when paired with massaged kale and sardines, it feels like a natural combination. Not to mention that tahini, kale, and sardines are all mega sources of CALCIUM. A heaping serving of this salad covers a huge portion of you calcium needs for the entire day: two tablespoons of tahini contains 120mg, 2 cups of kale contains over 250mg, and 3oz of drained sardines contains 325mg. Your Recommended Daily Value of calcium is 1000mg so making this a staple meal is a terrific nutrient boost. Kale also contains high amounts of Vitamin K which is needed to anchor calcium to the bone matrix! Make this salad for your friends and they will be fooled. A vegetable-skeptical friend said she never liked eating kale before discovering this salad!
Sardines with the bones included are an excellent source of calcium and protein. Yes, bones IN (thats where the calcium comes from). They are small and when pieced into this salad I promise you won’t even notice them. One tin of sardines also covers an enormous 70% of your Vitamin D daily requirement! For alternative protein sources, this salad works perfectly with tofu (raw or sautéed) or toasted chickpeas. Whatever you end up dressing, I hope it at least gets you to eat more salad!
2 Servings
Dressing:
1/4 c tahini
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2-3 tbs water
Pinch of salt
Pinch of Black pepper
Shakes of garlic powder or 2 fresh minced garlic cloves
1 tbs olive oil, optional
Salad:
1 bundle organic Dino kale
1-2 tins sardines with bone in, packed in water or olive oil, unsalted
1/4 c pumpkin seeds
1/2 cucumber sliced
2 celery sticks, chopped
Grated raw parmesan cheese, optional
Process:
Remove kale greens from stalk and place in large salad bowl of water to clean and crisp up the leaves. Prepare the dressing by mixing all ingredients together in a small vessel. The acid in the lemon is key to mix the fat and water. Two teaspoons of apple cider vinegar is a suitable substitute if you don’t have a lemon on hand. Dressing texture should be thick and creamy but easily spreadable so add a tad more water or lemon juice if necessary. Heat a cast iron skillet on the stove on medium heat. Add the pumpkin seeds, shaking the pan occasionally for a stir, and cook until they get a toasty color. Chop cucumber and celery. Strain and dry kale. Chop and add to salad bowl. Give it a slight massage with your hands to break it down. Add the other veggies, pumpkin seeds, and dressing. Drain water from sardines. If oil packed drizzle some on the salad! Piece sardines into bite size pieces and add. Toss to thoroughly to coat and serve!
