As I discussed in Power Salad, this is not your average salad. For this variation, I brought back some of my favourite elements, but introduced a few new ingredients too. Feel free to use what you have and what you love. After all, you want to be enjoying every bite of your meal. Eat to feed your soul, not just your body! Benefits:
- You may never have guessed it, but buckwheat is full of powerful antioxidants called flavonoids that help to protect the body and repair damage caused by free radicals. Buckwheat is also a good source of manganese, which is used by the bodies energy production organelles, the mitochondria, to protect themselves against damage. In other words, stay protected with buckwheat!
- Raw tahini is made from unroasted and unhulled sesame seeds. A traditional Middle Eastern staple, tahini has slowly made its way into my kitchen. I use it mostly for hummus and dressings because its flavour is one-of-a-kind. It adds a creaminess that is often hard to obtain in a dairy-free diet and I find its flavour softens when combined with a cold pressed olive oil. Sesame seeds are also a great source of manganese, but perhaps more impressive is its calcium content. Two tablespoons of tahini will give you almost 35% of your daily recommended calcium-- amazing!
Ingredients:
1 bunch of kale, cut bite-sized & steamed
2 cup buckwheat, cooked (approx. 2/3 cups uncooked)*
1 cup chickpeas, cooked (approx. 1/2 cup dried)
1 yam, diced & steamed
1/2 head of cauliflower, roughly chopped
1 beet, grated (I used an heirloom chiogga beet)
Assemble the salad in the order listed above. Top with Garlic Tahini Dressing (see below).
*To cook buckwheat (or quinoa), soak grain over night and rinse well before adding clean cooking water (1.5 cups water for every 1 cup dry grain). You can skip this step if pinched for time, but soaking allows for quicker cooking time and also removes enzyme inhibitors making the grain's nutrients more available to the body and easier to digest. If you skip this step, use 2 cups of water for every cup of grain. Also expect to double your cooking time. Once you have added clean water and a pinch of sea salt, bring pot to boil before turning to low heat until all the liquid is fully absorbed. Remember to leave a lid on and restrain from stirring to avoid mushy buckwheat. Approx. 20-25 minutes if using a soaked grain.
Garlic Tahini Dressing:
4 tablespoons tahini
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 garlic clove
1 tablespoon cilantro, fresh
Combine all ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth. Or you can also use a mason jar, but mince the garlic and cilantro before combining all ingredients and shaking to combine. You may need to use a fork to break up the tahini. Shake until all ingredients are emulsified.
References
- Mateljan, G. (2007). The world’s healthiest foods. Seattle: George Mateljan Foundation.