Kale and Bean Salad with Tahini Dressing

This easy kale and bean salad is packed with good for you ingredients, is crave-worthy and can be made in advance. Since kale is such a hearty green, it can be hard to digest when served raw. To prevent this, we massage the kale leaves with a little salt and lemon juice. By rubbing the salt and lemon into the leaves, some of the structure of the kale breaks down. This makes the kale a deeper colour of green and much more tender than if left raw.

1 bunch kale (~ 7 cups leaves)
3 oz walnut halves, lightly toasted (~ ¾ cup)
2 (15 oz) cans beans, such as chickpeas or cannellini beans (~ 3 cups)
¼ cup fresh parsley leaves and tender stems, chopped
½ cup Persian-Israeli Tahini Paste
½ lemon, freshly juiced
fine sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground
lemon slices, optional

Strip the leaves from hearty kale stems and chop or tear apart (save the stems for another recipe). Rinse the leaves under cool water then pat or spin dry.

Add the kale to a large bowl then use your fingers to massage the leaves with ¼ tsp. of salt and the juice from half a lemon. After about a minute, the kale will be a deeper green and feel tenderer in your fingers.

If using canned beans, drain and rinse them. Add the beans, parsley and most of the tahini sauce to the kale. Toss well then adjust with more sauce if the salad seems dry - we like to be generous with the dressing. Toss in the walnuts, some freshly ground black pepper and serve with a few lemon slices as a garnish.

Makes 4 large salads.

Cook's Notes: To toast nuts, add them to a dry skillet over medium heat. Cook, shaking frequently, until fragrant and lightly browned. Watch the nuts carefully, they can go from toasted to burnt quickly.