One of my favorite parts about cooking is gathering inspiration from different sources and then bringing them together into one, big recipe creating party.
Normally, salads can have the tendency to be predictable, maybe even a bit boring. But if I’m going to sell my husband on the idea that a salad for dinner once a week so we can become part of #meatlessmonday, the salad needs to be hearty and full of flavor.
Wish me luck.
I’d say this kale salad recipe is the perfect example of recent inspiration to hit me over the head when the first bite hit my tongue, meets the jogging of my ever-failing memory thanks to my ever-persistent seasonal cravings and my extreme talents of blog bookmarking and cookbook post-it note tagging.
I have mad skills that way.
So where’s all this inspiration stemming from?
Let’s take this inspiration ingredient by ingredient and see how this kale salad all came about.
Kale
I think I’d been kale-sheltered for far too long. That is, until almost 3 years ago, when I ate my friend Kelley’s amazing kale salad when she made it here. It was one of those recipes that totally enlightened me.
Kale wasn’t so bad! In fact, it was just about good! Hey, look what you started Kelley.
So then I added another layer of flavor…
Kale + Butternut Squash and Chickpeas
I’ve had this autumnal recipe tagged in one of my Food & Wine annuals (2008!) for far too many years as flavor inspiration. Hey! What a great addition to kale for a hearty fall salad.
The squash and chickpeas are dusted with curry powder and a pinch of cayenne then roasted. I liked Food & Wine’s idea of a yogurt dressing to cool things down. That is until I had a salad on Saturday night that changed my mind entirely.
And then I changed up the dressing with…
Kale + Butternut Squash and Chickpeas + Tahini Dressing
My man and I went on a date Saturday night (high-fives for keepin’ the romance alive!) and started off our movie night at Salt Lake’s new-ish restaurant Rye SLC. We had some serious comfort food of Shoyu Fried Chicken and Truffle Mac ‘n Cheese, but the Kale Salad with Butternut Squash and a Tahini Dressing is what stuck with me and made me think, “Hey, a dressing like that would be yummy on that one salad I saw in Food & Wine.”
The tahini adds a mellow, sesame nutty taste that’s sweetened with a bit of honey, and tarted up with a bit of vinegar. It’s a nice change up from the usual lemony flavored dressing commonly found on kale salads. Not that there’s anything wrong with that…
And then…
Kale + Butternut Squash and Chickpeas + Tahini Dressing + Candied Pecans
I always crave a little sweet with my savory and this salad is no exception. Plus I did some crunch in my salads. I remembered Ali had posted a recipe for Candied Pecans the other day so I put my husband to work on whipping up a batch.
It was the ultimate compliment.
And guess what? My husband agrees! VICTORY!
Kale Salad with Butternut Squash, Chickpeas and Tahini Dressing
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 1 bunch of kale
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro plus more for garnish
- 2 cups large diced butternut squash
- 1 15 ounce can chickpeas garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- pinch of cayenne pepper
- Kosher salt
- 1/2 cup candied pecans
For the Dressing
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Prepare the kale by cutting out the tough ribs of the kale and discard. Thinly slice the kale into ribbons and add to a large bowl. Add the chopped cilantro and toss to combine.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Add the diced butternut squash and rinsed chickpeas to a baking sheet lined with foil. Drizzle with the extra virgin olive oil, curry powder and cayenne. Mix with your hands until the squash and chickpeas are well coated. Sprinkle with kosher salt and bake for 15-20 minutes or until squash is tender and chickpeas are lightly browned.
- Meanwhile add the dressing ingredients to a small mason jar. Shake to mix and taste for more seasoning if desired.
- Transfer the butternut squash and chickpeas to the bowl of kale. Add the candied pecans and drizzle with the tahini dressing. Toss to coat. Allow to rest for 10 to 30 minutes before serving so kale softens and flavors meld.
How about a few more kale salads to add to your #meatlessmonday options?
Autumn Kale Salad with Fennel, Honeycrisp and Goat Cheese
This crisp salad pairs sweet apples with licorice-y fennel for a serious fall crunch.
Get Cookie + Kate’s recipe here.
Kale and Quinoa Salad with Apples, Pecans and Cranberries
She’s made this salad a few hundred times and claims it’s so good that she make it at least once a week. I can totally see that.
Get Flourishing Foodie’s recipe here.
Warm Sautéed Grapes, Autumn Kale and Edamame Salad with Shiso Vinaigrette
The secret to eating whole kale leaves is making sure they’re small and ultimately tender. Top it with sweetly sautéed grapes and sturdy edamame and your meal is made.
Get Dolly and Oatmeal’s recipe here.
Get ‘yo greens on, ‘yo.
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Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says
Although I don’t think salads are boring, I DO think you made a special one here. So many fun ingredients!
Cessna says
Great salad. Loved the flavors. Second time I am making it
Christine @ My Natural Kitchen says
This really does look like an awesome dinner salad! And I agree, tahini makes a nice dressing to go with kale. Looks delicious!
Meg @ The Housewife in Training Files says
With flavors such as these, this salad is far from boring!
GingerV says
I may be one of the last persons of the planet to succumb to the wonders of kale. Having said that this salad looks delicious and I could become a believer. I know that there are many varieties of kale and that kale can be consumed cooked or raw. Is there a variety of kale that is better used in a salad than others? What did you use in this recipe? I have noticed that some recipes specify a particular variety of kale but I cannot recall reading any explanation for the choice.
heidi says
I used curly kale in the recipe, it’s sturdy but tender and the most common variety found at the grocery store. You might also find dinosaur kale, with a longer leaf than the curly kale. Costco carries a mondo bag of kale leaves that are smaller and more lettuce like from the looks of it.
Just don’t buy the ornamental kale you’re seeing pop up outside of the grocery stores or in the garden departments.
Here’s a quick guide to kale varieties. http://www.thekitchn.com/curly-leafed-and-kale-ingredient-spotlight-166603
Maria says
I just made a similar salad! Can’t get enough fall flavors! Can’t wait to try yours!
Kristen says
Brilliant, beautiful fall salad. Love how you experimented until you got it just right!
Amy @ Parsley In My Teeth says
Kale is my miracle food — cures anything that ails me. So I’m always excited to find new ways to use it and this sound amazing! I’ve never paired kale with tahini but they would be perfect together. Can’t wait to try it out!
Naomi says
Well you definitely sold it to me – love the flavors in this.
Aimee @ Simple Bites says
Totally on board with this!!
Sharana @ Living THe Sweet Life Blog says
LOL – my husband wouldn’t go for a salad, for dinner either .. but it is worth a shot!! This sounds like such a great meal – yuuum!!
Phi @ The Sweetphi Blog says
Now i’m craving salads galore (and that doesn’t happen often lol)! This salad looks suuuuper yummy! Also-I’m loving the look of those spoons…the ones holding the pecans and the one in the salad…would you mind sharing where you got those?
Sommer @ASpicyPerspective says
Now this is my kind of salad! Tasty, tasty!
Samantha @FerraroKitchen says
Butternut squash and tahini is such a gorgeous, creamy combo!
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Aggie says
I think you just pulled together the perfect autumn salad. This looks delicious!! I love kale salads and haven’t had one in a while, you’ve got me craving one now!
kelley says
Pete and I did date night last week too. A drive over Guardsman and dinner in Big Cottonwood. This salad is just so right. I love everything about it. Nice work, Mama!!
mary says
Is this salad served warm? Or do you cool the squash & chickpeas before mixing with the kale & serving?
Looks delicious!
heidi says
Hi Mary, you could do either way! Warm or room temp. I ate leftovers the next day straight from the fridge and it was still delish.
Brenda @ a farmgirl's dabbles says
Fabulous flavor combination. And gorgeous, too!!
Eileen says
Hooray for kale and squash! This salad sounds delicious, and so perfect for fall. NOM.
Cara's Healthy Cravings says
I am in the process of making this salad as I type this! The roasting veggies smell amazing and a keep dipping my finger into the yummy dressing, this salad is going to be a winner.
heidi says
I’m so glad you’re taking it for a spin! I love hearing from those that make the recipes!
Colleen @ foodietots says
I can’t get enough roasted squash in fall salads, and the addition of tahini sounds divine!
jenna @ just j.faye says
I LOVE the flavor combination of this salad. I’m obsessed with tahini right now and I just cannot get enough butternut squash.
Millie l Add A Little says
Love this – looks so delicious! I’ve got so many chickpeas at the moment so will definitely be trying this out!
Yael Aldrich says
I made this with some changes (although I cannot wait to try the original!). I substituted a honey mustard dressing for the techina, used chopped Granny Smith apples instead of candied nuts (had a kid with an allergy at the table) and used bebere spice instead of your mixture. Absolutely delightful – warm from the cayenne and other spices, creamy from the dressing, crunchy from the apples! Will make this again and perhaps even make it a main course salad with the addition of chicken or salmon chunks.
Melanie says
This is absolutely delicious!
shannon says
Made this for a vegan Thanksgiving dinner I was invited to. Big hit, loved by everyone!
C Igbo says
This is such an amazingly delicious salad! The combination of flavors with the crunchiness of the nuts made my taste buds sing.
S Genovese says
A delicious salad! The flavors all meld together to create stunning taste experience. There are other recipes from Foodiecrush that I definitely will try. Keep up the excellent work.
Stephanie says
This salad is awesome! I have made it twice now. I made everythig exactly how you did, BUT i used 1/8 cup evoo, and 1/8 sesame oil. so.freaking.good! Let me tell you…if you have leftovers, saute them up in the morning and servr with a fried sunny side up egg on top. Its seriously amazing!
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