Broccoli Stem and Kohlrabi Salad with Chickpeas and Smoky Pepper Tahini Dressing...

I love a big ‘ole salad, by now this should be perfectly obvious. For me, any day of the year - but particularly on sunny Spring and summer days - there are few things better then a gigantic bowl filled to the brim with a luscious array of rainbow colored vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds and legumes.  There are days where I just crave salad, and nothing had me craving salad more then my week long foray into Irish cooking. As much as I loved the Irish cuisine I cooked up leading up to St. Patrick’s Day, the Irish aren’t exactly known for ‘light’ meals, nor are they particularly known for their salads. So after a long week of heavy seitan and potatoes fair I was desperate for a good old fashion salad.

Unfortunately the usual salad fixings were pretty scarce in my house yesterday. There wasn’t a scrap of any sort of lettuce, no avocado, no fresh herbs, and only one tomato. What’s a girl who needs a salad to do? Well, she’s got to get creative. I took a quick inventory of my crisper drawers and then began to formulate a plan. I might not have had lettuce, but I had two kohlrabi that had been in my fridge since who knows when, and two broccoli stalks leftover from the night before. Since I got my juicer I’ve been a big fan of re-proposing vegetables. I save all of my stalks and stems now instead of junking them, and feed them through my juicer. That was the original plan for these broccoli stalks but then I thought, why juice them when I can eat them? Washed and steamed and combined with a bit of red cabbage that I had, some red bell pepper, green onions, sesame seeds and tomato I was well on my way to lunch!

This is a really great way to use up your broccoli stalks, if you’re saving them or don’t want to throw them away, and if you’ve never had Kohlrabi before you’re really in for a treat. Kohlrabi is such a strange vegetable, it’s round like a beet but green, and it tastes like something between a potato, a cabbage and a sunchoke. They’re really unique and they can be eaten either raw or cooked. So a light steam is a really nice way to have them. They also pair really nice with a creamy-smoky dressing. It makes the perfect lunch salad.

Broccoli Stem and Kohlrabi Salad with Chickpeas

2 Broccoli Stems Chopped
2 Medium Sized Kohlrabi Peeled and Chopped
1 Tomato Chopped
½ Red Bell Pepper Chopped
1/4-1/2C Shredded Red Cabbage
1/4C Green Onions Sliced
½ Can of Chickpeas rinsed and drained
2 Tbsp Sesame Seeds (to taste)
3 Garlic Cloves Minced (or to taste)

Smoky Pepper Tahini Dressing 

3 Tbsp Lime Juice
3 Tbsp Tahini
2 Tbsp Bragg’s Liquid Amino’s
2 Tbsp Water (to thin and dilute as needed)
1 Tbsp Agave Nectar
1/4-1/2tsp Smoked Paprika
White Pepper to taste
Black Pepper to taste

- Steam the Broccoli and Kohlrabi together in a steamer basket fitted into a medium sized pot. Steam for about 5-6 minutes until tender, but still a bit firm.

- Combine all other salad ingredients in a large bowl. Add the steamed vegetables and mix together.

- Whisk together all dressing ingredients in a bowl until smooth and creamy. Then pour desired amount over your salad, mix well and enjoy!