Easy Whole30 Lunch Idea: Powerhouse Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing

With the New Year upon us, there is a renewed sense of focus on health and wellness. Whole30 is a health program that I know many people are undertaking this month. You can read more about Whole30 here if you aren’t sure what it is. I did Whole30 for a month last year and loved the results. I felt healthier, stronger and had more energy. I am going to start another Whole30 January 15th, and so am gearing up for that!

Knowing that so many of you are doing Whole30 right now, (or like me are planning on doing it in the near future) I wanted to share with you all an easy Whole30 approved lunch idea. A quick scroll through Pinterest reveals a ton of amazing Whole30 approved recipes, but I noticed a huge lack of recipes that can be made at home and taken to work for lunch. As working women lunch is always the toughest meal to plan / be healthy at (am I right?!) The below Powerhouse salad is easy to prepare ahead and bring for lunch at the office. It is also – very importantly – super filling to ensure that you have the energy to power through your busy work day!

Whole 30 Lunch Idea: Powerhouse Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing

Ingredients
*this makes enough for one large salad or two small ones

• 1/2 sweet potato, diced
• 1/2 bunch of kale, washed, stem removed and torn into pieces (you should get 3-4 cups)
• 1 large carrot, chopped and cut into bite size slivers
• splash of lemon juice
• 1/2 a large avocado, diced
• 1/3 cup sugar-free dried cranberries *check the ingredients to make sure the brand is Whole30 compliant
• 1/3 cup almonds
• salt, pepper and olive oil as needed.

Lemon Tahini Dressing:

• 1/3 cup tahini
• juice of 1 lemon (use remainder of the lemon juice)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3-5 tablespoons warm water

Instructions

1. Cook the diced sweet potato as desired – they can either be tossed with a dash of olive oil, salt & pepper and baked in a 375 degree oven for 35-40 minutes OR can be placed in a pot of boiling water and cooked for 8-10 minutes.
2. Prepare the kale while the sweet potatoes are cooking. Add the kale to alarge bowl with a splash each of: olive oil, lemon juice, salt & pepper. Massage the kale to between your fingers. **Do not skip this step! This is the key to making kale salad delicious. The toughness of the kale will break down easily in your hands. Put kale into your tupperware container for your lunch (or just a bowl if you are eating this salad right away!) Set aside.
3. Chop the carrots and avocado and gather your remaining salad ingredients.
4. Make the dressing by adding all ingredients except the warm water to a bowl and whisking until a
   creamy dressing is formed. Add the warm water a tablespoon at a time until the desired
   consistency is reached.
5. Once the sweet potatoes are done, allow them to cool and then top the kale salad with the sweet potatoes, carrots, avocado, cranberries and almonds.
6. Drizzle the lemon-tahini dressing over the salad if you are eating it right away. If you are not, you can still dress the salad before work – one of the nice things about Kale is that it holds up better than any other green (ie. doesn’t wilt as easily with dressing) or if you want to ensure the kale is crisp, pack the dressing in a separate container to be added on at lunch time.

Notes

1. Be sure to use warm water for the salad dressing. If it is too cold the temperature will harden the tahini making it nearly impossible to whisk and blend!
2. I’m a vegetarian so, clearly, this salad is veggie. If you are a meat-eater consider adding some barbecue chicken!
3. I LOVE this salad, and eat it all the time – Whole30 or not. When I’m not doing Whole30 I add 1/2 a tablespoon of honey to the lemon-tahini dressing and add feta cheese to the salad itself. Try it. You will thank me 🙂