Gluten Free Tamatoey Kale Salad with Tahini Dressing aka The Most Bomb Kale Salad {and How I Learned to Conquer a Fear}

“We can choose courage or we can choose comfort, but we cannot choose both. ”

— Brene Brown.The other day John found a little worry doll in one of my keepsake boxes that we were going through. (We’ve been cleaning and tidying around here.)"What's this?" He asked holding up a little figure about an inch big made from wire and cloth."Oh that's a worry doll." I said nonchalantly. "My mom gave those to me when I was really little.”  I paused.  “I used to worry a lot... so much that sometimes I couldn't sleep. So mom got me these little things and she told me to whisper one worry to each one of these little dolls and put them under my pillow, say a prayer and then in the morning my worries would be gone. Have you ever heard of that before?” He shook his head.“You don’t strike me as the type of child that would have worried a lot,” I laughed, “But me on the other hand… I could be worry city." He paused and raised his eyebrows as if to say, uh, are you saying you don’t worry right now?I read his mind saying, "Well, I still worry but I think I'm better now. I used to worry so much about disappointing people or failing and well, I feel like I’ve failed so many times I’m just not that afraid of it anymore. I mean, of course I’m afraid, but I know I can handle it, I’m braver now.” I paused again and felt the need to go on.John’s a good listener.“My bravery never goes without holding hands with fear. It’s almost like they need each other you know? It doesn’t really feel like bravery at all if I’m not afraid at the same time... and I feel afraid all the time."

"Vulnerability is not weakness - it is our most accurate measurement of courage."

— Brene Brown.

GLUTEN FREE TOMATOEY KALE SALAD WITH TAHINI DRESSING

One of the biggest reasons I launched Sweetish.co was because I felt this burning desire to teach women how to really treat and feed themselves. We (as in YOU and me my dear friends) all love food, but indulging doesn’t come without guilt and wanting to be healthy comes with huge amounts of overwhelm. Like who the poo has the time? So, I am working on some really exciting things to be launched (later this year) that are going to help with all of that, that I think (and hope) you’ll love. I'm like, so excited about it I could burst into a mound of glitter confetti at any moment. This kale salad is a sneak peek of the goodness that's to come. I mean, I was gonna save it, but hell, after my mom said “That was seriously the best kale salad I have EVER had," like 10 times (and even weeks later) I decided to share the goodness with you now. Kale is after all in season. Once you try it, I hope you agree with my mom's sentiments. (I love you mom.) xo

• for the salad:
• 2 bunches dinosaur  (lacinato kale, ribs removed and chopped finely)
• 4 tablespoons of lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• pinch of salt
• ½ cup / 64g black olives (chopped)
• ⅓ cup / 43g sun dried tomatoes
• 1 cup / 149g fresh cherry tomatoes (sliced)
• 1 avocado (chopped or messily scooped into bite-size chunks)
• ½ cup / 71g sunflower seeds (lightly toasted (optional))
• ¼ cup / 36g raw sesame seeds

for the dressing:

• ½ cup / 128g tahini
• ½ cup / 112ml olive oil
• ¼ cup / 60ml tamari (gluten free soy sauce)
• 4 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 clove garlic ( freshly minced  (about ½ teaspoon))
• ½ teaspoon fresh ginger
• ¼ cup / 60ml water
• Freshly ground pepper to taste

1. for the salad:
2. Douse chopped kale in lemon juice, olive oil and pinch of salt. Message it a bit so each leaf is covered. Let it rest a bit while you chop an prepare the other salad ingredients.
3. Add all ingredients except for the seeds and avocado to finely chopped kale leaves and mix until it looks like all ingredients are distributed evenly.
4. Make the dressing. :)

for the dressing:

1. Whisk all ingredients together in a medium-ish bowl or jar until combined.
2. At room temperature this dressing may seem like it doesn't need the water added to it, but once it chills in the fridge it thickens up quite a bit.
3. Plate your salad as you wish and top with drizzles of the fresh tahini dressing, toasted seeds and scoops of creamy avocado.

This salad is so versatile, so please don't be a perfectionist on this, the measurements for the salad are loose. I love this combination best (especially the mix of the tart sun dried tomatoes with the sweet fresh tomatoes), but by all means, feel free to mix and match add-ins like veggies, nuts, seeds and even cheese as you please. Hehe, I rhymed. ;)

WHY IS THIS GOOD FOR ME?

• kale - I mean, it's kale, just looking at it tells you it's good for you, right? But did you know kale is super high in calcium? It contains more calcium than cow's milk. It also contains iron, so when we add a little bit of lemon juice to our kale leaves, we're not just enhancing the flavor, but we're allowing the vitamin c from the lemon juice, to assist our bodies in absorbing the iron from the kale too. Cool huh?
• sesame seeds - Are high in vitamin e. We need vitamin e to improve our heart health, skin health and over all nervous system health. Sesame seeds are also a good source of calcium.
• sunflower seeds - Are a good source of vitame e, vitamin b and folate. Folate is super important for pregnant women, or women wanting to conceive as it ensures a healthy baby.