First, I am excited to announce that I now have printable recipe cards! Sheesh took me long enough! Thanks to my good friend and technology/internet/AND food GENIUS Jared at QUADPIXELS.COM , you are now able to print out simple recipe cards… just go to the bottom of the post! Two things- A) I made the layout super simple to save your printer ink. B) I am working on applying the recipe cards to my previous posts which will take a while so I thank you for your patience!

 

Now for the recipe! I love tahini. Tahini is basically just a ground sesame paste that is used in a lot of Greek and Middle Eastern cuisine. Super nutty and creamy, it is delicious in dips like hummus but also fabulous on its own. Since I love it so much and seem to always have it on hand I decided to experiment with it a bit. So here it is: Cold, crunchy chicken salad with creamy tahini and ginger vinaigrette.

 

You will need:

 

For the dressing:

 

1-2 Tbs grated fresh ginger (depending on your ginger preferences, I happen to like a lot)

1 medium garlic clove grated

4 scallions (chopped- white and light green parts, save dark green parts for salad)

½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes

½ tsp salt

1 Tbs honey

¼ cup lemon juice (1 juicy lemon)

1/3 cup tahini

1/3 cup rice vinegar

 

 

For the salad:

 

2 cups cooked chopped chicken (simple recipe to follow)

1 medium head of Napa cabbage (chopped)

1 red bell pepper (sliced)

3 ribs of celery (sliced in the bias)

1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

The dark green parts of about 4 scallions (sliced)

1 cup roasted salted cashews (chopped)

 

Also recommended but I didn’t have on hand when photographing for this recipe:

1 bag shelled, thawed, and cooked edamame

Sliced avocado for garnish

 

If I don’t have cooked chicken on hand I do the following. Preheat the oven to 400 F, place 2 bone in, skin on chicken breasts on a cooking sheet and cover with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake for 30-40 min depending on size. Take out of the oven and let cool. Peel of skin and remove bones; chop or shred. Chill before adding to salad if you have the time.

To make your dressing combine all of your ingredients in a bowl and whisk to incorporate. Taste it, adjusting with salt if needed. Set aside or refrigerate until ready to use.

 

 

Assemble your salad by tossing all of your ingredients together and then topping with your dressing. Toss again. Serve!

 

 

 

 

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