Happy New Year everyone! I hope you had some nice rest and relaxation among all the running around. My favorite part of having a little time off was sitting on the couch like a sloth with my husband watching a Law & Order SVU marathon. Inertia has a strong grip on me making propelling myself back into the kinetic world a bit of a push on Monday. But routine is just as important as breaking routine. When I got back to work the only difference was that from the three clementines I had left on my desk now only two remain…a mystery. This New Years I checked off watching the ball drop from Times Square from the bucket list. It’s a cool thing to feel the energy of a city from its center.
New Years was never a thing for me. It acts more as a reminder that while we can affect some things in our lives the rest is completely out of our control. It highlights the differences between what I wanted in the past year and what I experienced, where I fell short and where I far exceeded expectation. The New Year is a good time to choose a new beginning, but I really believe that every day, hour and moment is a good time to start anew. If I’ve acted or reacted in a way that’s disappointing to myself, I try to resolve that tomorrow I will do better. Believe me, you’ll always get a chance to remake your mistakes and approach them differently. The same situations will present themselves to you in new masks. While I would rather not think about the passage of time and all of its markers, if you focus on the artistry of personal evolution, time becomes a canvas and your actions are the palette for the work in progress–a much easier lens through which to process it.
Today I’m coming at you with something that’s been so important in my cooking, but always seemed too simple to highlight here–dressings and sauces. They take nature’s bounty and elevate it to a superlative estate. This miso tahini dressing has been a staple of mine for a while. Here I use it as a common theme for an entire meal from a light layer over the miso mustard herb crusted salmon to a sauce for the roasted vegetables and a dressing for my favorite winter kale salad. I make a variation of this salad about three times a week for a husband who vowed that he always hated salads. Until this.
In my next life I’d like to come back as kale. Overlooked for many years and with a rough exterior, the key to a good kale salad is in the massage! A little finesse and kale is as palatable as any other leafy green. You just have to work a little to earn its affection and bring it to its pampered end. Throw in the rest of the ingredients for texture, depth and contrast and you’re golden.
The miso tahini sauce is a combination of salty, tangy miso with the nutty flavor of ground sesame seeds and the brightness of lemon. It satisfies all of the taste genres. You can leave it thick and creamy or make it thinner to your liking. You can make your own tahini by grinding up sesame seeds with a little vegetable oil. Then just add the miso to the food processor. This is a wonderful antidote to the overindulgence of the season and a simple way to add nuance and interest to every part of your meal.
CITRUS KALE SALAD W/ MISO TAHINI DRESSING
INGREDIENTS:
For The Miso Tahini Dressing:
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 1 tablespoon red or white miso
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- 1/4 cup or more warm water
- freshly cracked black pepper
For The Kale Salad:
- 1 bunch kale, shredded
- 1/4 cup sliced red onion
- salt and fresh pepper
- 2 to 3 clementines peeled, segmented, and sliced in half or persimmons
- 1 Macintosh apple
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/3 cup pumpkin seeds (pepitas), toasted for about 8 minutes on medium heat
- 3 tablespoons goat cheese
DIRECTIONS:
For The Miso Tahini Dressing:
In a small bowl , combine the tahini, miso, lemon juice and ginger. Mix with a spoon into a smooth paste. Add the warm water gradually, stirring or shaking (if using a jar) until the dressing reaches desired consistency. It may need more than 1/4 cup. Taste for seasoning. Add pepper if desired.
Store in the refrigerator for about a week. Dressing thickens up as it sits, so you will need to add more water to thin.
For The Kale Salad:
Add the shredded kale to a large bowl. Season with a couple pinches of salt, and some fresh pepper to taste. Add about 2 to 3 tablespoons of dressing and use your hands to massage the kale for at least 5 minutes. The kale should be looking darker in color and feel more tender. Let the kale sit for another 10 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and serve immediately.
Your whole meal sounds deliciously healthy…a nice way to start the year.
Thank you, Karen. We usually have a version of this every Monday. It’s quick to put together and can cook while I’m in doing a million other things at once 🙂 Hope all is well. xo
Happy New Year, Amanda! I wish you all the best for the new year, and hope it will be a wonderful one – and perhaps one in which we will actually get to meet (and maybe your side of the Pond… I’ll let you know all about it in due time). I absolutely agree with you about every day being a good time to question oneself and, as you say, start anew. But I must say, so-called New Year’s resolutions are a bit different. I don’t usually make any, but this year, I decided to actually DO some of the things I’ve been putting off with (usually) poor excuses: I’ve still got time, I should give it more thought, I should do this but I’m lazy, not ready, not motivated, overwhelmed, tired, etc. I just needed a symbolic date to actually ACT, and not just talk and think about it.
Miso and tahini sound like an incredible combo; I’ve tried miso and peanut butter, miso and almond butter, miso and cashew butter, but never miso and sesame butter; how is that possible? I adore all kinds of misos (do you only use white miso in the US?), and I bet I would love this dressing on all sorts of things. Your salad sounds quite delicious with all the fruit, and soft goat cheese!
Thank you, Darya! Happy New Year to you too! Is it odd that I’ve missed you?! I owe you an email. I got so jealous that Sofia had lunch with you! 🙂 I do agree with you that New Years really is a time marker. It did the same for me…it’s kind of a wake up call that these things you want have to happen and not just float around in your head. It’s much easier said than done. If you’re really soul searching than your resolutions should scare you. I’m excited to see where this year brings you and I know you’re on the cusp of so many great things. I have white miso and red miso in my fridge. White miso is a little milder. I’ve actually never had it with nut butters…so funny. I’m excited to start putting it in everything. This salad was so great because it took me years to figure out that massaging the kale makes it so much more palatable. hope all is well and I”m looking forward to catching up and possibly meeting you this year! All the best to you!
i love the combination of miso + tahini, and the fact that the sturdy kale pairs so well with it. sometimes i’ll purposefully make the dressing thicker, and add in some herbs, and it makes a great sandwich spread or dip.
i’m so impressed you braved being out on new year’s! on tv it looked like such madness!
Thank you, Lan! The miso/tahini combo is certainly a winner. What a great idea about using it on sandwiches. I’ve been meaning to make a great sandwich on here for a while. I’ve got some awesome relishes and sauces like this, but I don’t eat sandwiches often. I’ll have to find good uses for them. As for New Years Eve, I got there early and was in a building so it wasn’t too bad at all. While I love the energy of the city, I’m more of a homebody and really like just being at home watching on tv 🙂 Always great to hear from you. Be well!
Happy New Year Amanda – I went to an amazing Chinese themed party at the Chelsea Arts Club with green tea cocktails, lions, dragons, pandas in dinner suits, mad geishas with tap shoes, fresh fried noodles, fireworks and absinth. Sadly they don’t allow cameras!
I was never keen on salad either, until Ottolenghi came along and surprised me – I’m sure your salad is every bit as good as one of his 😉
Thank you, MD! That sounds like a really fun party. So cool. I agree with you about Ottolenghi salads. He has a spinach salad in Jerusalem that’s so good. I also like using arugula for the salad, but the miso/tahini dressing is perfect for this. All the best to you this year, MD.
I saw the Jerusalem TV programme first – that was the one that really impressed me 🙂
So glad you had time off and get in some relaxation time. Looks like a great recipe and fits with getting back to good eating after all the holiday treats. I like the addition of the fruit to the salad.
Thanks so much, Jovina. It was much needed time off. And yes, it feels glad to share something healthy that I eat all the time as a way to kick off the year. I think citrus to a winter salad is an act of hope 🙂 Happy New Year!
So healthful and beautiful, I just bought a head of kale with the intention of making a raw kale salad. Love the dressing you made and the combination of fruits, vegetables, cheese and seeds in the salad.
Thank you! They’re a great combo. I hope you enjoy your salad. This dressing is so good. Massage the kale and the experience will be grand 🙂
Happy New Year to you too Amanda!
Watching the ball drop live is still on my to-do list so bravo lady love and great use of miso here, haha!!
Love the picture quality, the difference is incredible!
<3 <3 <3
Thank you, Dana! Happy New year to you. The ball drop was cool. And this miso dressing…tres fab. I just ate your miso soup recipe..used red instead of the white I used here…Soooo good. A life saver on a cold, late night. Thank you!! May you have a wonderful year this 2016. Xo
I want to try your recipe for the miso/tahini dressing! I love miso, but don’t always know how to use it. This dressing sounds really versatile. Also, I will have to try massaging my kale next time–thanks for the tip! 🙂 Happy New Year, Amanda!
Happy New Year, Amanda! Wow! Great recipes to start the New Year. Awesome!
Wishing you the best this year has to offer. 🙂
Thank you, Anna! All the best to you as well. Xoxo
I share your love of kale (and salmon!).
I made my own tahini a few times but now stick to the stuff in the jar. 🙂 You are my culinary super hero.
Haha! Thanks, Shanna. I’ve used both…it really depends on how much time you have on your hands. I’ve seen some of your salads on instagram and your other amazing creations so right back at you! I hope you’re well! xoxo All the best to you.
Happy New Year to you too, Amanda! When it comes to kale, I’m a late bloomer. I love everything about your salad – especially the addition of the clementines and the goat cheese. Simply lovely and delicious!
Thanks, Francesca. I’m the same way with kale. I remember when kale used to line the shelves as decoration in the fruit and vegetable aisles of the grocery store growing up. People didn’t eat it. Only in the past few years did I realize it was edible and actually really good! xo
Every time Steve bitches at me for having L&O reruns droning on in the background, I think about this article: slate.me/1ORHxlq. Your dressing sounds great. Hope the new year is going well.
LMAO! That is so funny! I had no idea that I’m that woman. I only watch SVU really and only reruns and have no interest in who is playing the characters…that’s so bizarre. He doesn’t really figure out what the phenomenon is there. Law & Order sucks me in every single time without fail. Other than that I don’t watch much tv at all. Thanks so much for that article. All the best to you too 🙂
I do love kale! You are so right…massaging makes it superb in a salad. And who can resist miso and tahini? I’ll definitely be making this one. Thank you for sharing. Your photos are just lovely…wonderful lighting and mood. And as always, your writing inspires me. It’s good to step away from routine, and then good to get back to it. We do have the opportunity to see our mistakes over again and choose new ways to approach them and grow in the process. I hope 2016 is off to a good beginning for you!
This has so many good things in it I best it tastes delicious as well as being good for you. Kale is such a stellar ingredient, I love it!
Thanks, Anna. I agree and the dressing here is what really makes it great! Thanks for stopping by.
Love this salad look delicious!!!
Thank you!!
I love the mood of your pictures. Very dramatic and appealing. Makes me want to look at all the post and try making some of the dishes on my own.
What a wonderful compliment, Niketa. Thank you. You made my night 🙂