Winter is all about kale for me. And here’s a new favourite winter salad. Kale Salad with Sweet Potatoes tossed in a tahini dressing. The sweet potatoes are oven roasted to get that terrific caramelized flavour that is terrific with massaged kale leaves (which is exactly what makes them tender enough to be enjoyed raw in a salad). But that’s not it! This power packed kale salad also has cubes buttery avocado, sweet red onion, pomegranate seeds and roasted pumpkin seeds for a little extra crunchy texture. All tossed together in a super simple tahini dressing. Who says winter isn’t for salads? Not convinced, well then how about trying kale sautéed lightly with your next skillet of German fried potatoes (Bratkartoffeln)? This makes a weekly round on our table!
A good massage is what this Kale Salad with Sweet Potatoes needs
Prepare the kale by removing the stems and chopping it or cutting it into ribbons. Toss the kale in a large bowl with the olive oil and a pinch of salt (sometimes I add a little squeeze of lemon juice too!). Massage the kale with your hands until it just starts to wilt and reduce in volume. This takes about 3-5 minutes. You can do this using kale oder Tuscan lacinato kale (cavolo nero), which is milder and also more tender. I even do this with Wirsing! This is a terrific way to add more raw greens to your winter diet. A super simple salad is massaged kale, a little garlic infused olive oil, lemon juice and a freshly grated parmesan cheese. So simple and so good!
Looking for more kale salad recipe ideas?
Check out my recipe archives for more ideas with kale or Tuscan lacinato kale, or try one of these delicious salad recipes:
- Asian-Style Kale Salad with Brown Rice and Smoked Tofu
- Kale Salad with Roasted Vegetables, Lentils & Tahini Dressing
- Simple Kale Salad with Lemon-Tahini Dressing
Kale Salad with Sweet Potatoes and Tahini Dressing
Ingredients
- 4 generous handfuls chopped curly Kale
- 2 small sweet potatoes, peeled, sliced about 2 cm thick, and halved (ca. 350-400 g)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 firm but ripe avocado, cubed
- 1 small red onion, halved and sliced
- 1/3 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted (40 g)
- seeds from a pomegranate
Tahini Dressing:
- 4 tablespoons well-stirred tahini
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 large clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 60 ml cold water, or as needed
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Method
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First, heat the oven to 200°C degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the sweet potatoes on a baking tray and drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil. Toss gently to ensure the pieces are well-coated and spread out in a even layer, careful not to crowd the pieces. Season with a little salt, and roast in the oven until browning, tossing in between, about 20 -25 minutes.
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To prepare the kale: Transfer the kale to a serving bowl and drizzle with a little olive oil (a squeeze of lemon – optional) and pinch of salt. Using a massaging action (get your hands in there and start to massage the kale pieces). Continue massaging for about 2-5 minutes or until the leaves are softened, shrink in size, and turn a more vibrant green. My method is squeeze and scrunch and squeeze and scrunch. Set aside.
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Toast the pumpkin seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant (and start to pop). Set aside.
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Add the dressing ingredients to a small bowl and mix together until well combined.
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Add the dressing to the kale and toss until well coated (depending on preference you may want less dressing – I use all of it). Serve the kale topped with the roasted sweet potatoes, avocado, red onion, toasted seeds, and pomegranate seeds. Enjoy!
Notes
I like to serve this in a shallow bowl and top the kale salad with the remaining ingredients, but if serving in a deep bowl, then I toss the kale with the dressing first, then lightly toss with the remaining ingredients to incorporate them. Finally I garnish with some extra pomegranate seeds and serve more on the side.
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