Garlicky Kale Salad

Some people have an addiction to grocery store salad bars. Whole Foods, for example, has an assortment of salads that are quite delicious, but it can be pricey to frequent for lunch or dinner. Why not make the salad yourself? It’s very easy to do that if you know what flavors go together, but we do have to admit that the dressing can be the tricky part. After a little trial and error, though, you find the right combination of flavors that match the salad that you purchase in the store.

The great thing about this salad as that you only need one ingredient: kale. Well, you need the six other ingredients for the dressing, but kale is the star of the show. Although you can add raw walnuts, cherry tomatoes, blueberries, raw sunflower seeds, or other ingredients to the salad, it isn’t necessary. Allow kale to take center stage and bathe in the beautiful flavor of the dressing. Speaking of the dressing, it is thicker than your average vinaigrette. Thicker dressings work well with kale, though, because it is a sturdier leafy green. Just make sure that you remove the thick center stems before you make your salad. You don’t want those bitter, fibrous stems in the mix because they’ll create an unpleasant flavor.

We love the zesty flavor that the dressing exhibits. It’s oil-free, containing fresh lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, liquid aminos, nutritional yeast, garlic, and tahini. Make sure that the tahini is made from raw sesame seeds, as opposed to roasted ones. Tahini offers a nutty flavor that helps to mellow the intensity of the garlic, lemon, and vinegar trio. Due to the powerful flavor, a lot of people really enjoy this dressing and like to have it around, especially during a cleanse!