Cooking for two Tahini dressing gives salad a nutty boost
Here’s an easy bowlful of color and crunch, dressed in a nutty and versatile sauce that you may want to double just so you can keep it on hand. It’s a vegan salad that makes you want to take just one more bite, and then another … heck, even if you polish it off yourself, that’s not the worst thing in the world.
To increase the protein, you could also some cooked beans; or to please meat-eaters add shredded, cooked chicken (rotisserie); or half a can of oilpacked/drained tuna.
We also liked this salad with fruit in it — sweet, tart, crisp, green seedless grapes, each cut in half. If you have some on hand, toss in a cup’s worth, making sure they get coated with the dressing as well.
Serve with toasted or warmed crusty bread or pita. If there’s dressing left over, it can be refrigerated for up to four days.
Green Tahini Salad For the dressing: Green Tahini Salad
1 medium clove garlic Leaves from 6 to 8 stems parsley
Leaves from 2 stems basil
2 tablespoons well-stirred, creamy tahini
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 lemon
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
For the salad:
2 medium carrots
1 small fennel bulb
1 /2 medium red bell pepper
Salad greens of your choice
Sea salt
Handful unsalted roasted cashews
Pita or other bread, for serving
For the dressing: Smash and peel the garlic. Place in a mini food processor or blender, then add the parsley, basil, tahini and salt. Squeeze in the lemon juice.
Chop and/or grind until the herbs are broken down, then stop to add the oil. Process for a few minutes to form a green, emulsified dressing. The yield is about ½ cup.
For the salad: As you work, transfer these ingredients to a mixing bowl: Scrub the carrots and cut into matchsticks.
Remove the core of the fennel bulb by cutting in on each side of the round core at the root end; this will form a triangular piece that will fall away. Discard the fennel’s tough outer layer. Cut the remaining fennel crosswise into very thin slices.
Remove the seeds and ribs from the red bell pepper, then cut the flesh into thin strips.
Add the salad greens and a pinch of salt; toss to mix well, then pour in half the dressing. Stir or toss to coat evenly, then divide among wide, shallow bowls. Drizzle with more of the dressing, then scatter the cashews over each salad.
Serve with the remaining green tahini (for dipping pita/ bread).
Makes 2 to 3 servings. Nutrition information: Each of three servings (using half of the dressing) contains approximately 240 calories,
4 g protein, 21 g fat, 13 g carbohydrate (5 g sugar), no cholesterol, 320 mg sodium and 4 g fiber.