{"id":13707,"date":"2015-10-29T16:12:33","date_gmt":"2015-10-29T20:12:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.canyoustayfordinner.com\/?p=13707"},"modified":"2019-06-12T14:22:31","modified_gmt":"2019-06-12T18:22:31","slug":"baby-kale-salad-with-orange-pomegranate-and-maple-tahini-dressing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.andiemitchell.com\/baby-kale-salad-with-orange-pomegranate-and-maple-tahini-dressing\/","title":{"rendered":"Baby Kale Salad with Orange, Pomegranate and Maple Tahini Dressing"},"content":{"rendered":"

This gorgeous mix of fall fruits and veggies packs a powerful nutritional\u00a0punch – baby kale salad with orange, pomegranate and maple tahini dressing.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Baby<\/p>\n

A month ago I traveled to Charlotte, NC to explore the Dole Nutrition Institute<\/a> (DNI), where they do all kinds of intensive testing on fruits and veggies, and produce studies that go on to help us understand the power of the antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals within them.<\/p>\n

You know the first thing I was struck by? David Murdoch, the CEO and owner of Dole, is 92 years old, still very active in Dole<\/a>, and friends, the man moves with greater\u00a0ease than I do. Want to know what he eats every morning? This smoothie, peels and all:<\/p>\n

1 organic banana (with peel),\u00a01\/2 pineapple (with core),\u00a01 orange (with skin),\u00a01 tomato,\u00a01 lemon,\u00a0handful of baby spinach,\u00a01 red bell pepper (whole),\u00a01 stalk celery<\/em><\/p>\n

His mantra is, \u201cAnything the sun touches is the healthy part of the fruit.” I’m tempted to ask him to be my life coach.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Baby<\/p>\n

Why eat the peel, right? That was my question, too. Here’s the answer —\u00a0along with a few more of the interesting nutrition facts\u00a0I learned:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Peels, Skins, and Rinds Have More Nutrients than the Flesh. Dole scientists have found that banana peels, for instance, are very nutrient dense, containing 2.3 times the fiber, 2.4 times the beta-carotene and 8.4 times the calcium of regular banana flesh. Read more here<\/a>.<\/li>\n
  2. Bananas are better than sports drinks for recovery<\/span>. Bananas deliver the same energy boost, and a much bigger nutrition bang, for a lot less money. Read more here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Vegetables Have Protein, too! A bunch of broccoli has 17g of protein.<\/li>\n
  4. Antioxidants Do More than We Thought. The job of healthful plant molecules (antioxidants) may not be only to find and destroy free radicals in the body. New research shows that they might actually work by inducing genetic responses that yes, destroy free radicals, but also <\/span>benefit health<\/span><\/i>. Read more here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \"Baby<\/p>\n

    Going to Dole<\/a> reinvigorated\u00a0my commitment to eating as many fruits and vegetables as possible. So often, I find myself in a rut of sticking to my favorites–the same salad ingredients, the normal vegetable roster for dinners, my three or four usual fruits. It\u2019s easy to do. But spending a few days at DNI, talking about their focus on Huetrition<\/em> — and the importance of eating the rainbow, not because it\u2019s pretty and not because it\u2019s trendy to eat clean and green, but because it\u2019s good for me. It\u2019s good for me in ways I can\u2019t see; It\u2019s good for me in ways I probably won\u2019t recognize, or be grateful for, until I\u2019m old and gray–when health is very clearly not just a choice or a goal, but truly all I have.<\/p>\n

    The most empowering thing to have happened to me years ago, when I started eating healthfully, was when my\u00a0mindset shifted from\u00a0\u201cI have to eat healthy\u201d to “I want to eat healthy.” I\u00a0turned a years-long sense of dread into desire and motivation. Suddenly, choosing fruits and vegetables didn’t feel like a drag, or a chore; it was easy and nurturing.<\/p>\n

    When I came home from this trip, I decided to switch up a few of the things I always buy.\u00a0I reached for\u00a0Dole\u2019s Power Up Baby Kale and Greens <\/a>(a blend that’s packed full of potassium, vitamin A, and fiber)\u00a0rather than my old stand-by:\u00a0baby spinach. I picked up a pomegranate, chose acorn squash over\u00a0butternut, white potatoes instead of sweet ones, a few grapefruits, and swapped cashews for pepitas. It’s not that I need to start worrying about getting every<\/em> vitamin and every<\/em> micronutrient, but one thing I took away from my Dole trip was “the more, the better.” Even just trying to diversify and vary my weekly fruits and veggies helps to cover lots of nutritional bases–and makes for a pretty satisfying life.<\/p>\n

    With this savory-sweet fall salad, I tried to pack in\u00a0a whole lot of nutrition alongside a few\u00a0of my favorite seasonal ingredients. The great thing about Dole’s kale blend is that it’s hearty and filling, but the leaves are softer and more tender than a whole bowl of mature, hardy kale leaves would be. All the nutrients without the bitterness that sometimes comes with kale. No massaging necessary.<\/p>\n

    And if you\u2019re not familiar with tahini, it\u2019s ground sesame seeds, and in this dressing, it imparts\u00a0a toasted, nutty flavor that I like to make a little brighter and sweeter with lemon and a tablespoon of maple syrup. I’d\u00a0bring this beauty to parties, serve it as a side dish, and add chickpeas, salmon, or chicken for a heartier main course.<\/p>\n

    <\/div>
    \n\t
    \"Baby<\/div>\n\t
    <\/div>\n\t<\/g><\/svg><\/span> Print Recipe<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n<\/div>\n

    Baby Kale Salad with Oranges, Pomegranate, and Maple Tahini Dressing<\/h2>\n
    <\/div>\n
    This delicious beauty could be brought to parties, served it as a side dish. Add chickpeas, salmon, or chicken for a heartier main course.

    <\/span><\/div>\n
    <\/div>\n
    Prep Time<\/span>15 minutes<\/span><\/span> mins<\/span><\/span><\/div>
    Total Time<\/span>15 minutes<\/span><\/span> mins<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>\n
    <\/div>\n
    Course: <\/span>Salad<\/span><\/div>
    Cuisine: <\/span>American<\/span><\/div>
    Keyword: <\/span>baby kale salad with oranges pomegranate, kale salad, tahini dressing<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n
    Servings: <\/span>4<\/span> Servings<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
    Calories: <\/span>345<\/span>kcal<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
    Author: <\/span>Andie Mitchell<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n

    Ingredients<\/h3>

    Maple Tahini Dressing<\/h4>