Crunchy, Smoky Spring Salad with Tahini

This salad is all dressed up and ready for spring! She may look simple but she is complex, with lots of interesting layers of flavors and textures! Leafy, tender greens in a light, yet creamy dressing of tahini and lemon, with smoky harissa roasted chickpeas, crunchy sunflower kernels and sharp Manchego cheese go perfectly together for satisfying and fun mouthful, bite after bite!

Here’s what you need for the salad:

Here’s what you need for the smoky roasted chickpeas:

These little roasted chickpeas are a great salad topper! They are slightly crisp with a smoky flavor that balances perfectly with the lemony dressing and sharp, tangy cheese.

How to make harissa roasted chickpeas:

Drain, rinse and dry 1 can of low sodium chickpeas. Then, toss them into a bowl with the olive oil and harissa seasoning. Pour them onto a parchment lined sheet pan. Roast them for 45 minutes, then let them cool before adding them to the salad.

Here’s what you need for the tahini dressing:

This vinaigrette is nutty, creamy, tangy and smooth and just perfect for a spring salad! The most important thing to consider is the quality of the tahini you are using. There are dozens of different brands of tahini out there and unfortunately, they are not all created equal.

Finding the right tahini makes all the difference in this salad dressing as well as other recipes that use it. For example, have you ever tried a hummus or a tahini sauce that had a really unpleasant bitter taste and chalky mouthfeel? I know I have many times! I wouldn’t recommend just grabbing whatever jar you see at the grocery store and call it a day. Do a bit of research. Read which brands food bloggers and recipe developers like to use.

My two personal favorite brands are Barron’s and Soom. Both are available on amazon and I can also find Soom at Whole Foods. They are the nutty and creamy tahinis of my dreams!

Whisk together the tahini with the olive oil, salt and lemon juice. The dressing will be very thick at this point. Add a bit of water and whisk until it reaches the desired consistency.

Shave the Manchego with a vegetable peeler.

I love preparing hard cheeses this way for salads. It has a nice aesthetic and gives you nice, sharp cheesy bites.

I find Manchego cheese at most grocery stores it seems these days, but if there is none available where you are, feel free to use Pecorino or Parmesan.

When it comes to building the salad, just eyeball it.

Toss your favorite baby salad greens into a big bowl with a good handful of roasted sunflower kernels and the chickpeas. Add the shaved Manchego, then drizzle the tahini dressing all over and give the salad a big toss.

This salad makes a great main course for a healthy lunch or serve it up for dinner with some simple grilled meats and/or veggies!

Keep leftover chickpeas and dressing refrigerated.

Use them in another salad later on. The roasted chickpeas are great for just snacking and the tahini dressing is delicious simply drizzled over grilled vegetables!

Other recipes to try:

• Harissa Roasted Cauliflower
• Roasted Garlic Hummus
• Oven Roasted Zaalouk