Yes, please and thank you too…I’ll take seconds of this amazing radicchio salad. It’s loaded with kale, chickpeas, walnuts and radishes and a creamy, dreamy oil-free dressing made with tahini and freshly squeezed orange for a sweet, tangy, bitter, crunchy, colorful and satisfying chopped salad. Oh, and this deliciousness takes just 10-minutes to make…perfect to serve with your favorite veggie burger or vegan sloppy joes.
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We recently dined at the new Elefante Restaurant in Scottsdale. My favorite dish of the night was an insanely good radicchio salad..I’ve been craving it ever since.
This is my simple version….it’s all kinds of bitter and sweet, colorful and vibrant, tangy and crunchy….just the perfect balance of all the things that make a salad truly memorable….maybe a stretch from the original—but, you know, I prefer a dairy-free, lighter sort of a thing.
A chopped kale salad in just 10-minutes? Yes! This is no ordinary salad either…it’s ridiculously easy to make with just 5 ingredients! You can count on this colorful radicchio salad will make your gut happy and your taste buds sing….you’ll be making this weekly, just like me!
Plus, the orange and tahini dressing is to die for…literally! I think you should make a triple batch and store it in an old salsa jar in your fridge…guzzling optional!
Why I love this
- It’s sturdy….the kale and radicchio won’t wilt easily.
- Bitter radicchio is balanced out with the sweet and salty dressing in a deliciously creamy way.
- Leftovers aren’t soggy, making it ideal for meal prep.
- No boring salads for us….nope!
- Healthy fats in the tahini help with the absorption of the fat soluble vitamins in the kale and radicchio.
- Chopped salad that’s incredibly colorful and delish, plus it’s vegan, gluten-free and highly nutritious.
Salad Ingredients and Substitutions
- Radicchio: This is a bitter leafy veggie that looks like a small cabbage—but the leaves are more delicate. It is in the chicory family….closely related to endive and escarole—which would be awesome subs.
- Kale: Lacinato kale is easy to stack and julienne for this salad, but you could also use curly kale, purple kale, or any other hearty green like collards or swiss chard.
- Radish: Daikon radish, purple daikon, watermelon radish or red radish will all be delicious in this salad recipe.
- Walnuts: they’re extremely nutritious and I love their nutty flavor…you could also use pistachios, hemp seeds, slivered walnuts or any nut or seed you have on hand.
- Chickpeas: Canned beans are an convenient resource for plant-based protein and fiber. Substitute with frozen edamame beans or any other bean you have on hand.
Tahini Dressing Ingredients
- Tahini: Make sure to thoroughly stir your jar before using for an even, drippy consistency. Look for brands with just one ingredient: sesame seeds. Substitute with any nut or seed butter.
- Vinegar: I like the subtle tang from rice vinegar, but balsamic is also a great choice for some adic to balance the sweetness.
- Date syrup: Date syrup has more antioxidants, minerals and fiber than other natural sweeteners but you can substitute with maple syrup or honey.
- Orange: substitute with lemon or lime juice…they will provide a more tangy and less sweet vibe.
- Salt and Pepper: skip the salt if you’re on a low sodium diet.
How to make it
It will take just 5 minutes to prep all the ingredients for this epic chopped bitter greens salad:
Remove any damaged outer leaves of the head of radicchio. Wash and pat dry, then use a knife to remove the core.
Place cut side down and then thinly slice. Repeat with the second half.
Wash kale and pat dry. Stack leaves and thinly slice.
Continue all the way down, including the stems until they are woody…discard those.
Scrub outside of daikon radish. No need to peel. Cut lengthwise into halves and then quarters. Thinly slice into small triangles.
Roughly chop walnuts. OPTIONAL: lightly toast in a dry pan over medium heat, shaking as they become fragrant. Let cook until they’re lightly browned, but not burnt, about 2 minutes.
Drain chickpeas, rinse and then drain again.
You can prep the salad dressing right in your salad bowl to save on dishes…or make it in a jar and store any extra in the fridge for 2 weeks. Start my juicing the orange.
Measure out the tahini, vinegar, date syrup, salt and pepper right into the salad bowl.
Whisk until everything is thoroughly combined.
Add prepped salad ingredients on top of the dressing.
Use a set of tongs, or large fork/spoon set to mix. Keep tossing until the dressing is well mixed into the veggies.
Debra’s Pro Tips
- I think they drizzled a bit of honey on the radicchio salad at elefante and it was spot on–delish! So, I say a little extra drizzle of date syrup and a sprinkle of fresh herbs (fresh thyme is fabulous) on the top is definitely the way to go.
- The more you mix, the more the fibers of the radicchio and kale break down and soften.
- Toast the walnuts for an even crunchier texture. See directions in the recipe card.
- Leftovers can be heated in a cast iron skillet…super yummy breakfast or lunch idea.
- Take it to the potluck. Give out the recipe link…everyone will want to make this one.
Storage & Serving Suggestions
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge
- Radicchio salad will last 5 days, but start to wilt after 3-4.
- Serve cold, at room temperature, or you can even gently heat in a heavy skillet over medium heat for 3-5 minutes.
- This is a fabulous side dish to serve with tofu skewers, vegan meatballs or black bean burgers. Serve it for a light dinner or for lunch as a main meal.
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📖 Recipe
Radicchio and Kale Salad with Chickpeas and Tahini Dressing
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 head radicchio approx ½ lb., thinly sliced
- 1 bunch lacinato kale thinly sliced
- 1 daikon radish quartered and thinly sliced
- 1 15-oz can chickpeas rinsed and drained
- ½ cup walnuts roughly chopped
Tahini Dressing
- 1 orange juiced
- 3 tablespoon tahini
- 1 tablespoon unseasoned rice wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoon date syrup substitute with pure maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground white pepper
Instructions
Make the Tahini Dressing
- Thoroughly wash outside of orange. Cut in half and then squeeze the juice into a large salad bowl. Whisk in tahini, vinegar, syrup, salt and pepper until smooth and creamy.
Assemble the Salad
- Prep Radicchio: Remove outer leaves that are discolored, wilted or bruised, then rinse and pat dry. Cut in half through the core. Cut the core out from each side, place cut side down onto a cutting board and thinly slice. Repeat with second half. Add to salad bowl with dressing.
- Prep Kale: Wash and pat dry. Cut off the super woody, fibrous ends. Stack and thinly slice.
- Prep daikon: wash well and pat dry. Cut in half lengthwise, then into quarters and then thinly slice. Add to salad bowl.
- Roughly chop walnuts. If you'd like to toast, use a dry skillet over medium heat and shake the pan until fragrant and walnuts begin to darken, about 3 minutes. Add to salad bowl.
- Drain chickpeas. Rinse. Drain again. Add to salad bowl.
- Toss well. Drizzle with additional date syrup and sprinkle with fresh herbs like thyme, parsley or oregano if desired.
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 5 days. Serve cold, or heat in a skillet….super yum!
Notes
Nutrition
Note
The nutrition calculations were done using online tools. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients you used. You are ultimately responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information is accurate, complete and useful.
Nancy W.
Trying to buy produce I’ve never used before, and bought radicchio the other day. Also happened to buy lacinato kale, so when I found this recipe, I knew I had to try it. Oh my GOSH, it’s soooo yummy!! May have to make this on weekly rotation… 😉 Thank you SO much for sharing this recipe with the community! (I didn’t have date paste, so I used maple syrup and added a little WYW date powder. Also added fresh parsley, and drizzled with a little honey, as you suggested.) YUM!!
Debra Klein
Love that you’re trying new things…and I’m with you on making this once a week…one of my favorite salad recipe and proof that salads don’t have to be boring!!