The healthy dinner recipes continue…
I’m happy to report that as of December 30th, I finished off my cabbage that haunted me for almost 2 months in my fridge.
2 months.
I think I’ve discovered the fountain of youth because cabbage just won’t die!
Plus, I really didn’t want to bring this “cabbage baggage” with me into 2012.
har-har.
I ended up throwing some things into a pot and it turned out incredible. Lots of dill (thanks for the tip, Ewa), lemon and zest, cabbage, drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, marinara sauce, herbamare, lots of cooked wild rice, etc. It tasted much better than it looked.
I actually ate so much, I got a stomach ache from all the cabbage…never fun!
Now, I was faced with a new problem…I had a huge amount of dill to use up. Those bunches of dill from the grocery store are h-u-g-e.
As a result of my dill surplus I made this healthy dill dressing, packing in a whopping 1.5 cups of fresh dill.
Dill be gone.
I tossed together Dinosaur kale, red onion, cucumbers, my salt & Vinegar roasted chickpeas, and sesame seeds with the dill tahini sauce for a healthy, well-rounded meal.
And unlike the cabbage, when I ate my weight in this stuff, I didn’t get a stomach ache.
Kale for the win!
Dinosaur Dill Crunch Salad
Yield
4 servings
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Dinosaur kale (also known as Lacinato or Tuscan kale) is the dainty and sweeter sister of traditional curly kale. It blends beautifully in this salad while letting the flavours of the dill shine. As a result of it’s soft texture and pleasant taste, you don’t have to marinate the dressing on the leaves for long. The healthy lemon dill tahini dressing is very low in oil and packs in 1 & 1/2 cups of fresh dill to sneak in more greens. I topped the salad with my favourite crunchy salt and vinegar chickpeas. Their tangy and salty flavour compliments the dill dressing nicely while adding a bit of a crunch!
Ingredients
For the S & V chickpeas
- 1 (15-oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups white vinegar
- few pinches of kosher salt
- extra virgin olive oil, to lightly coat
For the dill tahini dressing
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1.5 tbsp nutritional yeast*
- 1.5 cups packed fresh dill, stems removed and roughly chopped
- 1/2-3/4 tsp kosher salt
For the salad
- 1-2 small bunches Dinosaur kale (also called Lacinato or Tuscan kale) OR 1 large bunch curly kale
- other greens if desired (I used a couple large, de-stemmed collard leaves)
- 1 English cucumber, chopped small
- 1/2 red onion, chopped
- 1 batch of Lemon Dill Tahini dressing (below)
- few tablespoons of sesame seeds, toasted if preferred
- 1/2 batch of Salt & Vinegar chickpeas
Directions
- Salt and vinegar chickpeas: Preheat oven to 425F and line baking sheet. In a pot, bring 2 cups white vinegar to a boil and add pinch of salt. Add in drained and rinsed chickpeas and bring to a boil for 1 minute (no longer). Some skins may fall off and that’s normal. Turn off heat and let the chickpeas sit in the vinegar for 30 minutes. Drain the chickpeas, place into pot, and light coat with a tiny bit of oil and a few pinches of kosher salt. Place on pan and roast for 35-40 minutes at 425F, until golden and crispy. Halfway through baking, give the pan a shake to rotate the peas. Keep an eye on them to avoid burning, especially near the end. Leave on pan until ready to eat. They are best served fresh as they get soft when stored.
- Dill dressing: In a mini chopper or food processor, mince the garlic. Now add in the rest of the ingredients, except for the dill, and process until smooth. Give the dill a rough chop and add into processor and process until smooth. Should keep in an air-tight container for 5-8 days in the fridge.
- Salad: Prep all salad ingredients and add into a large bowl. Massage your desired amount of the dressing into the leaves and let it “marinate” until ready to serve. Add roasted chickpeas on top along with a drizzle of more dressing and sesame seeds.
Tip:
Note: If omitting the nutritional yeast, reduce the tahini by 1/2-1 tbsp as the yeast takes a bit of edge of the strong tahini flavour.
Dressing makes just over 1 cup
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
The first thing I did was make my roasted salt and vinegar chickpeas. Have you made these yet? The chickpeas taste just like salt and vinegar chips, minus the deep frying and unhealthy ingredients. I strongly recommend them if you are a salt & vinegar fan! They require 30 mins of vinegar soaking time and about 40 mins baking time, but the actual prep work is less than 5 minutes. They turn out so nice and crispy too.
While they roasted, I made the salad dressing.
I must say, I have no idea how I cooked so long without a stick immersion blender and mini chopper! I know you have been telling me this for years, but I really didn’t know how much I would use one.
I got this Cuisinart Smart Stick for Christmas and it’s working good so far. It does everything from finely chop garlic, puree dressings, blend soups, and more. It’s also very easy to use…I haven’t even glanced at the instructions yet. Hopefully it stands the test of time (and abuse) in my kitchen!
Once the dressing is prepared, chop your kale, red onion, and cucumbers. You can also use regular curly kale if you wish, but it will need to marinate longer to soften.
Pour some dressing onto the greens and massage it in. You can let it “marinate” for 10-15 (or longer) minutes before serving, but it’s not necessary when using dinosaur kale.
When the chickpeas are ready, sprinkle 1/2-1 cup on top along with more dressing and sesame seeds. Serve and enjoy!
A delicious, well-rounded, vegan & gluten-free dinner, lovely for the first week of January.
I ended with a vegan chocolate cupcake, leftover from Monday’s dinner party. When you eat a meal this good, there’s always room for dessert!
P.S.- I now have a page just for my Top recipes in 2011, so it’s easier for you to find them. The page is also located at the very top of the blog in the menu (beside “recipage”). I will be adding desserts and possibly snacks this week as well.
I love the addition of the roasted chickpeas! And good call ending with a cupcake! :)
Mmm, that looks great – and the dinosaur kale looks much easier to eat and digest. I find the curly kale to be really tough.
I might have missed it, but how many servings does this salad make?
Probably about 4 servings or so, but it will depend on how much kale is used.
yum! I love this chickpea idea! I’ve never thought to add vinegar to them! Delish :)
Did you peek in my grocery cart last night? We bought kale (which we NEVER buy!) and red cabbage, something we also never buy! So this is like a two-fer for me! Happy New Year!
haha…yes I was the creeper following you in the grocery store ;)
Enjoy!
I need to make these chickpeas! They’re one of the few things I’ve never roasted.
Cabbage stomach aches are no fun. I ate a half a head once when I made an toasted sesame braised cabbage. Ouch!
Dill is one herb I never use because I can’t figure out how to use the whole bunch, so this is perfect for me!
Oh I feel your pain! It’s hard not to eat too much because it’s so healthy.
LOL – I’m laughing as I read this because I too have a red cabbage sitting in my fridge and it is taking me far longer to get through than any other vegetable! I’ve been on a big dill kick lately too so this recipe sounds fantastic. Have a great Wednesday Ange!
i love your recipes…. i am trying to watch calorie intake yet trying to eat a variety of healthy foods plus these foods need to be kid friendly….its tough …. i was wondering if you ever look at the calorie intake or if u make these with that in mind…. or if nutriton for the fuel…… everything is so healthy but i think alot may kill my calorie goals…
Hey Mamag, I do not count calories myself, but I know it can be a useful tool for some people. Just depends on the person I guess! I like to focus on my hunger cues as well as aiming to get a balance of protein, carbs, vits/mins and healthy fats with each meal.
We got that awesome food processor for xmas. One more way to iuse it. Salt and vinegar? yum!!!
I cannot wait to try the chickpeas I LOVE salt & vinegar anything!
I remember making your SandV potato chips a while back and loving those, I bet the chickpeas are tasty as well. But sometimes nothing beats the real deal!
That looks so delicious! And the dill dressing yum. Everything in there I love and am always looking for new ways to prepare kale. Thank you!
Do you roast the chickpeas in the oven? If so, for how long on what temp? This salad looks amazing. I love dill. Can’t wait to try this.
This salad looks amazing and I love the name! Salt & Vinnegar Chickapeas! Yum!!
That salad looks so good! I love chickpeas, I love dill…. This looks like a recipe I could get obsessed with :)
Great recipe (again!) I’m envious that you can eat that much kale and not get a tummy ache. Every time I eat it raw I’m greeted with nasty pains that just wont die! I bet I could steam it lightly and make it work. Gotta try, it looks delish!
You had me at the salt & vinegar chick peas ;)
I just got a huge bunch of organic dino kale in my CSA box yesterday, so I definitely plan to try this one out!
I LOVE dill. I only usually break it out for salmon but I love this idea for it!
Yummy!!! I’ve been wanting to try roasted chickpeas forever! This is a perfect meal for a new healthy year!
Everything about this meal sounds awesome. I am a HUGE salt and vinegar chip fan, and can’t wait to make the chickpeas! I have some dried beans soaking in my fridge now. :)
I can’t wait for summer to grow my first batch of kale! We’re moving to a new house in March and there’s already an established vegetable garden, so all I’ll need to do is plant! I can’t wait!
I’ll admit, the “dinosaur” part of the name scared me off, but now that I know it’s the less aggressive variety, I’m going to pick up some next time I’m in the store!
oh that’s exciting about your garden! I found that kale grew very easy for me (however I did plant “baby plants” to start with). It was incredible how FAST it grew!
Dill….ahhhh sweet heaven. I love dill so freaking much!! This looks really out of this world amazing, seriously it does!!
What better way to finish ANYTHING off than with a chocolate cupcake?! Phu-Lease! HEAVEN!
xxoo
This salad sounds delicious, I think I’ll add some poached salmon to make it a filling lunch.
I know what you mean about the size of herb bunches at the grocery store. I’m always struggling to finish up my leftover herbs. I always mean make a “pesto” or something with them and freeze it for a later use but I never seem to find the time. At the moment I have basil and mint in the fridge. I think the basil will be easy to use up because I just throw it in salads. I might just use the leftover mint to flavor my water and tea.
I really like the name “dinosaur kale”. I imagine that kids would at least try it with a name like that.
yea it’s fun, right? I prefer to call it that over the other names
angela!!!!!! thanks for rocking more of the cabbage shots. isn’t it wonderful that you begin to take such AWESOME photos, that there become too many to post on the blog! when you can use them again or recycle batches of photos (using new of old (recycled) ones) it’s super fun!
weird, i know: YOU and four other bloggers that I frequent starred in my dream last night! i think we were at some convention in Vegas…it was fun! your creeper reader, jasper naomi
haha that is too funny! I’m down for vegas. ;) I could use some of their sunshine right about now…
i must admit, it and when i EVER hear that you’re attending a blog convention…im SO using my mile to be there! – keep us posted
What a great looking salad and the pictures are so vibrant and gorgeous! Talk about eating the rainbow! A burst of freshness and brightness for any cold and dark winter days, that’s for sure.
Lovely photography and recipe.
I love roasting chickpeas…such tasty little buggers that way :)
I just tried kale for the first time last week! I love chickpeas- this recipe will definitely be on my list to try:)
Salt and vingear chickpeas? yes, please!
I have that same immersion blender and LOVE it. It was actually a wedding gift from my photographer – she also got me a blender. Photographer of the century? I think so! I use the mini-blender to make icing for cupcakes, too…works like a charm!!
icing too? I never would have thought that!
I have so much to say about this post! First of all- I LOVE the Cuisinart Smart Stick and use the chopper attachment more than the actual immersion blender- it’s so much easier to clean than a food processor!
Warm cabbage salad is highly underrated! I just picked up a head of red cabbage on Monday with the intentions of cooking it for that very reason.
And, I’m SUCH a fan of your salt + vinegar chickpeas. I used the same technique for potatoes a few times, too and they are sooo good! I wonder what else you can make salt+vinegar flavored using the same method?
I love your enthusiasm! :)
I’ve also made S & V chips (linked in the post) and they are FAB and also green beans (!). both very very good and have that autentic S & V flavour.
mhmm I love dill.
Now this sounds so good…drizzle some lemon juice over it and viola!! :)
Thanks for the recipe! I am starting a new job soon and I am looking for healthy, portable lunches, so this salad is just what I needed!
Unfortunately I broke my (very cheap) immersion blender. I used it in extremely hot soup and it melted slightly, then got caught on the blade. I’ve learned my lesson and I will let foods cool down more in the future. However, in the meantime, I am left without an immersion blender. :-(
Oooh, yummy! I already love your salt and vinegar chickpeas(thanks for reminding me of them – even my hubby loved them!) and I love dill so this is just calling my name :D
LOVEEEEE love love the kale goodness in a salad – great “salt and vin” alternative with chickpeas, too! Thanks for sharing this deliciousness!
YOU have one my heart! I am in love with this salad and that hasn’t happened in a LONG time! Awesome recipe, can’t wait to make it!
Enjoy! :)
One day late on the red cabbage! I used up my other half last night :) Mine only lasted 3 days ;)
Love this salad!
This salad looks soo tasty! I made some roasted chickpeas the other day and they did not turn out crispy like I wanted, so I’ll have to try these! Salt & vinegar sounds awesome :)
Oh this looks delicious, and super healthy loaded with tons of good for you nutrition!
Mmm, looks so good! Haven’t tried kale before so i’m looking forward to making this salad.
hehe, for some reason the word “dinosaur kale” always makes me giggle. And I should really try and see if cabbage will keep me young forever! :) It is healthy, after all.
This looks delicious! I’ll try it when Kale returns to my local farmer’s market.
I bought a stick immersion blender a few months ago–I feel the same way: how did I ever cook without it?! It’s now a must-have kitchen tool in my book.
Kale is a great plain lettuce alternative, and I love salt & vinegar chickpeas! This salad looks so tasty!
Dill is one of my favorite herbs! I will have to try roasting chickpeas as you’ve suggested. I’ve tried roasted black beans after coating with EVOO and Smoked Spanish Paprika and they are fantastic.
I can never find dinosaur kale, but I always hear that it’s much better than other kinds. I can’t STAND kale (even in green monsters or as kale chips), so I want to say I’ve at least tried all kinds before I completely give up.
I have been trying to force myself to like kale b/c I know how good it is for me. Last night I made kale chips and I was not a fan. This will be a great way to try kale again! Thank you!
…perhaps then I can get rid of it’s new nickname: Kale Fail. :)
Hi!
I assume you mean 1/4 cup of lemon juice (for the dressing), rather than 1/4 tbsp.
Looks delish.
yes thanks, fixed!
This looks really tasty! :D