I just can't get enough of tahini massaged kale bowls. Love the concept of massaged kale because you get the benefits of raw greens, with a texture more similar to a tender, cooked green. This recipe uses my favorite hemp tahini from the Hemp Med Bowl, kale, toasted sesame seeds, spice roasted sweet potato "chips" and chickpeas, cucumber, pickled beets and carrots.

Having always cringed at pickles, I was pleasantly surprised when in recent years I discovered that I loved more dense pickled veggies. Carrots, beets and cauliflower are more dense than cucumbers, so I think I like that they are less vinegar-y tasting. When we lived in DC I got them weekly at the farmers market, so I was thrilled when my go to farmers market in Louisville had a stand with both of my favorites (beets//carrots).

Besides being a super easy and tasty way to add veggies to any bowl, pickles have all the perks of any fermented food. Their natural probiotics balance the digestive microbiome. Many health experts including, Ashley Harris, founder of LoveBug probiotics, stress the importance of balancing the microbiome in order to balance the rest of the body. If you cannot find pickled vegetables at your local market, try doing a DIY pickling class or test out a recipe like this one in your own kitchen.

This is a great meal that can be prepped ahead and eaten as 4 lunches throughout the week.

Ingredients (4 Servings):

2 Medium Sweet Potatoes
1 Can of Chickpeas
1 Bunch of Radishes
1 Large Cucumber
1 Jar of Pickled Beets
1 Jar of Pickled Carrots
Sesame Seeds
1 Bunch of Kale
1/4 Cup Tahini
Hemp Oil
Olive Oil
2 Large or 4 Small Garlic Cloves
Salt/pepper
1 Lemon
2 Tsp Chili Powder
1 Tbsp Cumin

Method:

Tahini Dressing: Add tahini, juice of 1 lemon, 1 large or 2 small garlic cloves, 2 Tbsp hemp oil, salt and pepper to food processor. Pulse until combined. Add 1tbsp of water at a time and pulse until dressing is your desired consistency (should be thin enough to drizzle but thick enough that it's still creamy) You can do this in a bowl with a whisk alternatively.
Sweet Potatoes: Cut the sweet potatoes into at most 1/4 inch thick rounds, then toss with olive oil, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Spread evenly on 2 foil lined baking pans and roast at 400 degrees until potatoes are fork tender and the edges begin to brown and curl. Flip about halfway through.
Roasted Chickpeas: Rinse a can of chickpeas and dry thoroughly with paper towels. Toss in olive oil, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Roast at 400 degrees on a foil lines pan until crisp. Toss 1 or 2 times during roasting.
Massaged Kale: Wash and de-stem the kale, then massage torn leaves with tahini until tender.
Toasted Sesame Seeds: Toast seeds in a dry skillet for 2-3 minutes on medium heat until slightly browned.
Chop cucumbers and beets into smaller pieces if desired, then arrange bowl and drizzle remaining tahini. Finish by sprinkling toasted sesame seeds.

This is also a great recipe to prep before guests arrive, then simply arrange, drizzle tahini and sprinkle sesame seeds before serving.

One of the fun parts of moving to a new city has been navigating the wellness scene, especially finding local health food companies, farmers and other small businesses. I was completely intrigued to learn about the local production of hemp and what a great benefit it is to both the economy and environment. I have always incorporated hemp seeds into my breakfast bowls (oats, smoothies, etc.) for an extra pop of protein, but never considered them as a nutritious addition to heartier meals.

Meeting Chad Rosen from Victory Hemp Foods lead to an entirely new discovery of hemp's uses and benefits. According to Rosen, founder of VHF, "Hemp foods are nutritious and delicious; with the ideal ratio of Omedga-6 to Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and a protein profile with all 9 essential amino acids including L-Arginine as well as Magnesium. It's a superfood that our bodies can thrive on." He introduced me to hemp oil, which he recommended as a perfect oil for dressings.

In this recipe, hemp oil helps create a creamy tahini dressing both used to massage the kale and drizzle on top. I also recreated by basil avocado cream using hemp oil, then added texture to the avocado by topping it with hemp seeds. Other components of the bowl are: spiced roasted sweet potatoes, red onion, quinoa, cucumbers, chickpeas and kale. Love this hearty bowl as a post workout protein refuel.

Ingredients:

1 Can chickpeas
Kale
1/4 Cup Tahini
Cumin
Coriander
Salt/pepper
1 Cucumber
1 Red onion
Victory Hemp Foods Hemp Hearts
Victory Hemp Foods Hemp Oil
2 large or 4 small garlic cloves
1 large sweet potato
1/2 cup quinoa (dry)
1 cup Vegetable broth (low sodium)
Fresh Basil
2 Lemons

Method:

Tahini Dressing: Add tahini, juice of 1 lemon, 1 large or 2 small garlic cloves, 2 Tbsp hemp oil, salt and pepper to food processor. Pulse until combined. Add 1tbsp of water at a time and pulse until dressing is your desired consistency (should be thin enough to drizzle but thick enough that it's still creamy)
Avocado Cream: Follow this recipe, but use hemp oil
Sweet Potatoes: Cube sweet potatoes and toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, cumin and coriander. Roast at 400 degrees for around 35 minutes or until tender when poked with a fork. Use a spatula to toss them around the pan halfway through.
Quinoa: Add quinoa and vegetable broth to a small pot. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer for 30 minutes or until broth has been absorbed.
Massage kale with a generous amount of tahini dressing using your hands until it's more tender. Add chopped red onion and cucumber, rinsed and drained chickpeas, and sweet potatoes to kale. Drizzle bowl with remaining tahini dressing. Put a dollop of avocado cream in the middle and top with hemp hearts.

Creamy tahini dressing is perfect for breaking down and massaging the kale