blissful eats with Tina Jeffers: Deconstructed Hummus Salad
I try to eat a healthy diet most of the time but I must admit that all the desserts I've been posting here are starting to affect my waistline and not in a very positive way. I am definitely a live to eat kind of person, I love food and I hate to worry about counting every calorie. When the time comes for me to fill my plate with more greens and less chocolate I turn to the big salad for help. I find that I can fill my bowl to the brim, eat to my hearts content and lose weight in the process. The trick is to fill the bowl with mainly greens and vegetables and limit the amount of cheese, meat and heavy dressings.
I love hummus, but eating nothing but pita bread and chickpea dip for dinner isn’t such a great idea and the calories add up quick. That's when the inspiration for this salad came to me. It’s a kale and chickpea salad topped with crunchy toasted pita chips and a creamy tahini dressing. It's super filling, healthy and tasty. Kale is a nutritional powerhouse, a single cup of kale packs 5 grams of fiber and has a high concentration of antioxidant vitamins A, C and K. Health benefits aside, this is a great departure from the standard iceberg lettuce, tomato and cucumber salad. So if you are looking for something a little bit different, give this salad a try, you won't be sorry.
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Deconstructed Hummus Salad
Ingredients:
- 1 bunch lacinto kale
- 2 cups chickpeas
- 2 whole wheat pitas
for the dressing:
- juice from ½ lemon
- 2 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves
- ¼ cup fresh parsley
- ¼ cup tahini
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¾ teaspoon salt
Method:
Combine all the ingredients for the dressing in a blender, puree until smooth and check for seasoning. You may need to adjust the amount of lemon juice or salt if the flavors aren’t popping.
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray or brush the pitas with olive oil and toast in the oven for 8-10 minutes until they are slightly browned and crispy. When cool enough to handle, lightly break the pitas into bite sized pieces.
Remove the inner ribs of the kale, tear into 1-inch pieces and place in a large bowl. Add ¼ cup of the dressing to the salad then knead the salad with your fingers to really incorporate the dressing into the kale, it’s helps break down the leaves and makes them more tender. Add the chickpeas and pita chips to the salad and toss gently to incorporate.
