I love a good salad. In the summer, I really like them because I don’t have to heat up my kitchen, they are quick to get on the table and they are so tasty! If you don’t already know, tahini is sesame seed paste. Think healthy fats and some protein. It’s almost nutty tasting and so very good. Here’s a way to make a fantastic salad dressing with lovely sesame flavor. The recipe yields more dressing than you will need for these two salads. So, put it into an air-tight container and place into the fridge for more salad making during the week. Trust me, this is delicious!
The Creamy Tahini Salad Dressing: (makes more than you will need for these two salads)
- ½ cup tahini
- ½ cup water
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 clove of garlic, minced or through a garlic press
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- Salt and Pepper to taste
The Salad: (makes two large entrée salads)
- 4 – 6 cups of mixed greens of your choice (depends on how big of a salad you want)
- 2 cups cooked chicken (could be leftovers, could be one you roast on the weekend, could be a rotisserie chicken from the store)
- 2 radishes
- 2 carrots
- 6 mini-sweet bell peppers
- 2 small cocktail cucumbers
- 2 green onions
Because it was salad night and I didn’t want too many dishes, I made the salad dressing in a 2-cup measuring cup. Patiently whisk or stir the tahini and water together until smooth. Add the sesame oil, rice vinegar and maple syrup. Stir until smooth again. Add the garlic, ginger, salt and pepper by giving it one final bit of stirring. Set aside.
I basically built these salads individually. Put half of the greens, one sliced radish, one sliced carrot, three sliced or chopped bell peppers, one sliced cucumber and one sliced green onion along with 1 cup of chicken into a large mixing bowl. Add a few tablespoons of salad dressing (as much or as little as you want – it’s your salad so dress it how heavy or light you prefer). Toss away. Put into a serving bowl. Repeat the process with the second half of the ingredients. Serve and enjoy!
OPTION: Use other proteins in place of the chicken. You could make this vegan by using beans, tempeh, seitan or even broken up nut burgers.
OPTION: Use whatever veggies you like or have in your refrigerator. I just used what I had on hand. It’s flexible.