Brown rice, sweet potato, kale and baked chickpeas topped with Tahini Sauce.
I first created this sauce to use with the kale chips I made in my new dehydrator (still learning and experimenting, but that thing is FUN!). They turned out great, btw, but I didn’t end up using all the sauce and shortly realized how delicious it was on steamed greens, and as a salad dressing. It packs a lot of flavor so a little really does go a long way.
It’s been a long time since I posted a recipe! Not that I haven’t been creating in the kitchen – I’m always doing that. Just life. You know how it is. Anyway, I love tahini dressings but they are usually so high in fat. Tahini, or sesame seed paste, is high in fat of course because seeds are high in fat. Tahini, and other seeds and seed pates are very healthy but can easily be overeaten. However, there is a way to use tahini in dressing, still get that flavor, and cut the fat. The secret is in the BEANS. Yes, beans. They not only help cut the fat, they add creaminess, body, nutrients, fiber and protein.
I made this dressing with a salad in mind, but I ended up pouring some over my steamed kale and sweet potato, and it was tasty! You can use any kind of soft, white bean. I had made my own flageolet beans the day before because I like to have a batch on hand, but you can use cannellini, great northern, etc. If you use canned be sure to rinse and drain them. NOTE: I get a lot of my dried beans from Rancho Gordo. They sell the BEST heirloom beans! You can purchase from their website at ranchogordo.com.
One of our favorite vegan restaurants in our area has an amazing fall salad with a cinnamon vinaigrette that I absolutely love. It’s lighter than most, however as is 
standard operating procedure for most restaurants, the dressing is oil-based. Oil-based dressings can add an extra 300-500 calories to an otherwise healthy, low-calorie salad, so we try our best to stay away!
Anyway, I set out to recreate the dressing without using oil, and I succeeded!! This will go beautifully on our Thanksgiving salad.
Cinnamon Vinaigrette
1/3 cup plain soy yogurt
2 TBS brown rice vinegar
1 TBS maple syrup (you may need more if your yogurt is unsweetened)
Juice from 1/2 lime
1 tsp low-sodium tamari or soy sauce
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
pinch ground cloves
1 TBS cashew butter or about 2 TBS soaked raw cashews
water for thinning, if desired
Combine all ingredients in blender and mix until smooth.
