Watercress and hearts of palm salad with tahini dressing
Prep: 15 minutes
Makes: 6 servings
Watercress is pretty fragile. If you buy it in bunches, when you get them home, wrap them in paper toweling, then slide them into a plastic food bag and refrigerate for several days.
Tahini dressing:
¼ cup each: sesame tahini paste, safflower oil, apple cider vinegar
½ teaspoon salt
Salad:
1 bag (4 ounces) small watercress leaves
¼ of a red bell pepper, very finely sliced
½ cup pomegranate seeds, optional
1 can (14 ounces) whole hearts of palm, drained
Freshly cracked black pepper
1. For dressing, put tahini paste, oil, vinegar, salt and ¼ cup water into a blender. Process until smooth. Add another tablespoon or two water if needed to make a thick, but pourable, dressing. Taste and adjust salt as desired. You’ll have about 1 cup. Dressing will keep refrigerated for several days.
2. For salad, pile watercress in the center of a serving platter. Scatter red pepper pieces and optional pomegranate seeds among the leaves. Slice a couple of the hearts of palm lengthwise in half and place on platter. Slice remaining hearts of palm into ¼-inch thick rounds and scatter over the watercress. Sprinkle everything with black pepper. Dollop with some of the dressing and serve right away.
Nutrition information per serving (using half the dressing): 97 calories, 7 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 6 g carbohydrates, 3 g sugar, 3 g protein, 341 mg sodium, 2 g fiber