Roasted Chickpea, Arugula and Kale Salad with Tahini Maple Dijon Dressing

Hey guys!

You may have noticed my posting schedule has slowed down. I must admit, I decided to focus on myself a lot more in the last three weeks. I’ve been doing runs every second day and really focusing on eating clean, vegan and low-gluten. I’ve been feeling great and have dropped a few pounds but I’ve also been incredibly busy. To top things off my camera battery finally ran out and I’m having trouble finding a replacement. I still plan of posting regularly in the future but it might be a few more weeks before I’m back to a few times a week.

I owe you a bit of catching up –  I’ve been restaurant hoping with all the birthdays that have come up in the last 6 weeks. In the last few weeks I’ve gone to Tempo (I pictured their eggs benny on waffles on my Shock and Awe post), Hart & Thistle, The Bicycle Thief and the Brooklyn Warehouse.

I more regularly frequent the Hart & Thistle then the rest of the aforementioned restaurants. I love their nachos and creative salads but what keeps me coming back is their ever-changing craft beer.

I’ve gone to The Bicycle Thief twice now, each time as memorable as the last. Their menu is seasonal and their wine and cocktail list is amazing. I had the panzanella, gnocchi and this Rosemary Fizz cocktail that I can’t wait to reproduce! It’s gin, crushed ice, grapefruit juice, tonic and rosemary simple syrup…pretty and delicious!

The Brooklyn Warehouse has been a north end destination for year. It’s unpretentious fancy pants cooking, in a casual setting. They use all local ingredients they have revamped their menu to include sharing boards which work great as an appetizer for a few people and also have delicious cocktails served up stylishly in mason jars. I opted for local Bridge Brewery beer to wash down my food.

I have a new salad dressing I love that is quick to make up, vegan and delicious in this salad. Roast you chickpeas, prepare the dressing and serve it up in the heaps. This recipe makes one lunch sized salad, it travels well and I’m going to show you how to pack it for work. No fancy plating in this recipe, but the taste is awesome, try it!

Roasted Chickpea & Kale Salad with Tahini Maple Dijon Dressing

roasted chickpeas

• 1 – 15oz can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 tbs of olive oil
• 1 tsp of ground cumin

salad

• 1-1+1/2 cup of kale, either baby kale or large kale washed stemmed and torn into bite sized pieces
• 1 cup of arugula or baby spinach

dressing

• 1 tbs tahini
• 1 tsp Dijon
• 1-2 tsp of pure maple syrup or honey
• 1-2 tbs of apple cider vinegar

Method

Heat the oven to 350F.

Rinse and drain chickpeas, toss in olive oil and cumin and lay flat on a baking tray. Roast, turning once for about 10-15 minutes, or until they just start to brown. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Wash and pat dry the kale. Tear kale into bite sized pieces and put it in a large salad bowl or resealable lunch container.

In a small bowl mix dressing ingredients, add to the kale and coat completely.  I use all the dressing, it will marinate the kale but feel free to use less or make more as desired.

Once the chickpeas are room temperature, add to the bowl or container topping the kale.

Top with arugula and seal container.

If you are not making this to store, you could arrange this different to make it more visually appealing. Other great add ins are red peppers, granny smith apples and almonds.

Watermelon, Cucumber and Avocado Ceviche

I feel like this refreshing simple salad holds so much pretension because I call it ceviche. If you are unsure of what ceviche is, it’s a humble fisherman’s food of raw fish/shellfish, citrus juice, chili pepper and fresh herbs. By adding lime, lemon or even grapefruit juice, it cooks the raw fish providing anyone with a quick, no cook meal that is refreshing in the heat of the summer. A few years ago this very simple staple got thrown into the culinary spotlight and it now is tossed into every other restaurant’s menu.

The thought of ceviche has always been intriguing to me but in no way shape or form, had I ever, conceptualized a veggie version until I was directed to check out a website called A Profound Hatred of Meat. Recently the author (Carly) posted a sweet geometrical picture of a de-constructed vegan ceviche and I knew I had to try making something similar. My recipe serves two large servings or 4 as a small appetizer. Hurry and make it because summer is almost gone!

Watermelon, Cucumber and Avocado Ceviche

adapted from A Profound Hatred of Meat Watermelon Avocado Tofu Ceviche

• 3 cups of finely cubed watermelon (1/2 inch cube)
• 1 avocado, pitted and diced
• 1 cup of diced cucumber
• the juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 tsp fresh thyme
• 2 tsp fresh mint, minced
• 1 pinch of chili flakes, or minced fresh chili
• 1-2 tbs of olive oil
• sea salt to taste

Method

Prepare the watermelon, cucumber and avocado and add to a large bowl.

Juice the lemon and pour over avocado to stop browning. Toss with fresh herbs and olive oil  and season with chili flakes.

If you are serving immediately it’s ok to throw in the salt now. If you are serving in 30 minutes to an hour, omit the salt until you are ready to serve. The salt will draw out moisture from the ingredients and make the mixture soupy.

Marinated Kale, Romano Bean and Carrot Salad

I bring my lunch to work pretty much every day. It’s hard when you have a lot going on the eat healthy but it’s harder when you don’t pack a healthy lunch and you eat out. For that reason I’m always looking for shortcuts to quick, healthy and satisfying lunches that will keep me fueled through the work day.

Where it’s summer, I’m making salads. Quinoa salads, garden salads, couscous salads and now marinated kale salads!

Do you remember the first time you brought a salad to work and dressed it before you left? It was soggy and limp and most likely inedible. Or the multiple times you made a salad and forgot to bring dressing so either went without or had to beg for, borrow or buy one? Well kale can be dressed the night before and still be delicious the next day. In fact it can even last 48 hours refrigerated without wilting so much it’s inedible. Add some beans for protein and fibre and carrot for color and sweetness and we have the start of something good. Top with your choice of fresh ingredients before eating and you have a healthy, filling lunch that will get you through the day.

Marinated Kale, Romano Bean and Carrot Salad

• 2+ 1/2-3 cups organic kale,  washed and cut into ribbons
• 1 can of romano beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup of shredded carrot
• 2 green onions, sliced

dressing

• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1+1/2 tbs apple cider vinegar
• sea salt and pepper to taste

addtional toppings

• 1-2 tbs of flax seed
• diced tomatoes/cherry tomatoes
• diced avocado
• 1/4 cup of cooked quinoa
• fresh herbs
• fresh red pepper
• grilled eggplant
• chopped green olives
• pine nuts, walnuts or pecans
• croutons

Method

Wash and stem kale, roll up with finger tips and cut into ribbons not quite a chiffonade, you want them about 1/4″ width.

Place in a medium sized bowl with the rinsed and drained romano beans. Grate carrot and thinly slice green onions and add to bowl. Toss.

Make the dressing. In a small bowl whisk olive oil into apple cider vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Pour over greens and toss well until everything is coated.

Cover bowl and let sit overnight or at least for 2-3 hours. The salad will keep for two days. Makes 2 large or 4 small servings.

Prepare any add-ins the night before or set aside in a separate container so it’s ready to go when you are. I added chopped tomato and brought sourdough croutons to add later.

Tahini Dressed Potato Salad with Chickpeas and Kale

Oh my, last week was busy,

 I struggled to adjust to being back to work while maintaining my workload at home and it was exhausting. I still can’t believe it’s June, summer is officially here in 19 days! I got to the gym twice this week and I plan to go after some chores this morning. I’m excited about this weekend because the sun is going to be shining and I have a date planned with my dogs shortly and with my boyfriend later today. Couples need to date, especially when it involves brunch on a patio in the sun. 

On our last beautiful weekend I had the pleasure of having a BBQ with two very dear friends. Last minute thought I would make a potato salad, I looked in my fridge and it slowly came together. Traditional potato salad can be a calorie and fat dense treat which I like to indulge in, once in a while. Last year I made a recipe I saw on Joy the Baker for Salt and Vinegar Potato Salad that totally changed the way I felt about the stuff, it literally tasted like salt and vinegar chips, and while the salt content way high I felt better about the fat content. This year, I wanted another vegan version but to balance out the guilt of the white potato I wanted to up the nutritional value without compromising the taste. This potato salad shares a lot of the same ingredients you taste when eating a falafel but still have potato salad integrity. That is right, you read correctly, potato salad can have integrity. I promise, this doesn’t taste good for you, but nutritionally it is vastly better for you than most potato salads. The salad only improves with sitting, so making a few hours up to a day before the event is greatly encouraged. I used a half can of chickpeas in this recipe but you could easily use a whole one, I made mock tuna with the half can I had left over. Win-win.

I apologize for the simplicity and uninteresting finished photos, I had planned to get more but we literally ate almost the whole lot and then the rest of the meal was gone so I couldn’t take better shots. This recipe serves about 6 people as a side.

Vegan Potato Salad with Chickpeas and Kale and a Tahini Dressing

• 5-6 medium sized new potatoes
• 1/2 can of chickpeas, washed and drained
• 1+1/2 cup of red pepper, diced
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 2 cups of washed kale, stemmed and blanched

Dressing

• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/4 cup of each olive oil and tahini
• 1 clove of garlic grated
• 1 tbs each smooth Dijon mustard and apple cider vinegar
• sea salt and pepper to taste

Method

Wash and de-vein the kale and set aside.

Wash the potatoes but leave them peeled and add to a large pot filled with cold water and sea salt. Boil potatoes until a fork can be inserted and removed easily. It will take about 23-30 minutes depending on the size of your potatoes. Remove potatoes from the water with a slotted spoon and let cool about 8-10 minutes until they are cool enough to handle. While the potatoes are resting, blanch the kale in the still boiling potato water for 1-2 minutes, remove from the water, drain and set aside.

With the back of a spoon (that you would use to eat with) gently remove the skins of the potatoes and discard the skins.  Slice the potatoes width wise into 1/2 inch rounds and place in a large bowl to continue to cool. Drain and rinse chickpeas, add one half to the potatoes and store the remaining in the fridge.

Press out the excess water in the kale by balling it in your hand. With a sharp knife cut kale into bite sized pieces and add kale to the cooled potato and chickpea base.

With a wide set potato masher (mine is a standard metal one that looks like a wavy line), roughly mash the potato and chickpeas into smaller chunks. You only need to pass through it a few times to get a nice uneven chunky texture.

Make the dressing. Zest and juice the lemon and add to a medium sized bowl. Grate the garlic and add to the same bowl with the olive oil, tahini, Dijon, apple cider vinegar and cilantro. Stir well and taste and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Wash and dice the red pepper and green onion and add to potato base.

With a large spoon, mix in until evenly distributed, pour the dressing over the salad and mix well again. Taste and season with more salt and pepper is necessary. Refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours, preferably longer to allow the flavours to marry. Eat the hell out of it!

Sometimes you need to eat salad for breakfast

Confession one , I ate nachos 3 times this week. Once the nachos were accompanied by a pitcher or Strongbow, once by two pints of beer lastly by a glass of wine.

Confession two, the above statement indicates I also drank  multiple times last week. Even though the way I presented them should prove to you that my drinking has in fact decreased over each incident of nachos.

Confession three, I am getting (deserving-ly) uncomfortable in my clothes.

Solution one, this morning I had salad for breakfast which is not unheard of in my house. It’s actually delicious and light and doesn’t weight you down when you come to my next solution.

Solution two, the dogs are deserving of a huge walk as my trifecta of nachos interrupted our daily walks each time.

Solution three, if you have any similar confessions the recipe for breakfast salad is as follows:

Let’s keep this simple shall we, you don’t need any complications on a Saturday morning, that is what Monday is for.

In my salad there is a 1/4 of vine ripe tomato, half a green onion, a tiny bit of smoked mozzarella and a free-range poached egg. The dressing is 1 tsp of olive oil, with lemon juice, pepper and some poppy seeds.

Prepare the greens and veggies and arrange on a plate. Bring water with a bit of salt and a tsp of apple cider vinegar to a boil on the stove. In a small bowl whisk oil into lemon juice and add pepper and poppy seeds. Poach egg. Pour dressing over greens and veggies, add cheese (optional) and top with egg and more pepper.  Eat this and feel good about yourself!