Greens and Apple Salad with Maple Tahini Dressing

Were you one of those peanut butter and jelly kids? I most certainly was not

As a kid, I never really liked the traditional school lunch. Are you surprised? Yeah I didn't think so. When I was a little little kid, my mom would always send me to school with a peanut butter and jelly or when they banned peanut butter, turkey sandwich, a piece of fruit, and some sort of 100 calorie pack. Side note: can we talk about how disappointing some of those 100 calorie packs were. Don't get me wrong: the Doritos and the Lorne Doones were amazing. But something about the Oreo 100 calorie packs not actually looking or tasting like an Oreo was so so disappointing. Seriously, what is the point of having the cookie without the cream? I'll tell you straight up, the cream makes the cookie. Have they ever thought about selling the cream separately because that would actually make my life 

I need to copyright that stat. 

But the future food blogger in me was never satisfied with such simplicity. I always wanted more elaborate lunches like the ones I had at home on Saturdays and Sundays. From the time I was small, Saturday and Sunday lunches were always clean out the fridge lunches. Leftover taco filling became nachos. Leftover egg noodles were fried with butter and cottage cheese and a TON of black pepper (sounds disgusting but actually the most delicious thing ever). And, if for some reason, there were not enough leftovers to go around, we would stop for actually decent supermarket sushi. I know that sounds too good to be true, but it was incredible stuff.  Even at 8, I would load up my raw tuna rolls with plenty of wasabi and go to town. 

​Eventually, I would try to tote these weekend lunches along with me. When my mother got tired of my 20482309582094 complaint for a better lunch (especially with two other kids' lunches to pack can you blame her) she told me to pack my own lunch. From 5th grade on, I was given the freedom (with some limits) to raid the fridge and pantry for lunch. Cheese plates, caesar salad, burritos, and leftover soups were all part of the menu. However, my favorite lunches back then and still continue to be the ones you can eat out of a bowl. With so many textures and flavors, lunch bowls satisfy my overall indecisiveness. This salad is everything that I love about a good lunch, particularly in the fall when apples and greens are THIS GOOD. Bitter greens are tossed with crunchy toasted chickpeas, feta cheese, apples, and pomegranate seeds. The tahini maple dressing is AMAZING and should not be missed. The mixture of flavors might sound a little weird at first, but I guarantee it will hit all the sweet/sour/savory/salty buttons. If you are working with particularly sturdy greens, like kale, the salad gets better as the dressing sits on the leaves. If working with arugula or swiss chard, dress the salad right before serving. 

Swiss Chard and Apple Salad with Maple Tahini Dressing

Serves 2
Stuff:

• 2/3 cups cooked chickpeas (homemade or canned)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• paprika
• salt
• pepper
• 4 cups chopped greens (arugula, kale, and swiss chard are all good options)
• one apple, cored and sliced
• handful pecans or pistachios
• 2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds
• 2 tablespoons feta cheese

Dressing:

• 1 tablespoon tahini
• 1 teaspoon miso
• 1/2 teaspoon maple syrup
• juice from 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon water
• salt
• garlic powder
• red pepper

Meanderings:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit. On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, toss the chickpeas with olive oil, salt, pepper, and paprika. Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes or until the chickpeas are browned and crispy. Set aside to cool
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. If the dressing appears too thick, add more water. 
3. In a bowl, toss the swiss chard with the dressing. Top with chickpeas, sliced apples, pistachios, pomegranate seeds, and feta cheese. 

Get ready for a texture party!

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