Kale Chickpea Salad with Sun Dried Tomato Pesto
Sunny mild fall days call for roasted beet salads that deliver serious vegetable goodness with that rich fall flavour. This eats like a full meal with plant powered protein from chickpeas and the pesto. It's a great holiday side recipe or as a full meal on its own!
Ingredients
- 8 cups kale, torn and de-stemmed
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 red beet, roasted and sliced
- 1 golden beet, roasted and sliced
- 1/2 cup cooked chickpeas
- 1/2 avocado, cubed
- 1 tbsp hemp seeds
- 1/3 cup walnuts, chopped
- Sea salt & cracked pepper
- 1/2 cup sun-dried tomato pesto
Method
- Add torn kale into a large salad bowl. Pour olive oil over kale and add a pinch of sea salt. Massage oil and salt into the kale.
- Start layering remaining ingredients finishing with small dollops of pesto.
- Season with salt and cracked pepper and enjoy!
Pesto Ingredients
- 1/2 cup cashews soaked overnight or sub 1 cup hemp hearts
- 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 1/2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- Juice of 1 lime
- 3-4 tbsp olive oil
- 2-4 tbsp warm water
- Sea salt
- Cracked pepper
Pesto Method
- Drain and rinse cashews. Add to a food processor.
- Drain off excess oil from sun-dried tomatoes and add to blender. No need to chop. Add garlic, nutritional yeast, lime juice, olive oil and 2 tbsp of water. Turn machine on, scrape down sides as needed. You are looking for a smooth texture. If pesto is too dry, add more water.
- Season with salt and cracked pepper. Store in an air-tight container for up to 1-2 weeks.
