Recipe: Collard Green Salad with Strawberries & Tahini Dressing — Recipes from The Kitchn |Cooking With Amanda

Move over kale salads. Collard greens are having a moment.

My husband and I grow a lot of kale and collard green plants on our farm and supply restaurants and farmers markets in our community. We've never struggled to sell out of kale, but collard greens are a different story. Apparently not everyone shares our same enthusiasm when it comes to this leafy green.

There is good news though. I think this season there is a new trend and collard greens are in the spotlight.

Collards have a flavor similar to that of kale but milder. I think people have been intimidated by collard greens because they think they need to cook them for an extremely long time. And while it's true that when they are cooked they become more tender they are equally delicious when eaten raw.

→ Learn how to cook collard greens: How To Cook Tender Collard Greens

Similar to kale, when you remove the tough stems, chop into bite-sized pieces and toss with a simple dressing, collard greens are extremely delicious. Keep in mind that both raw kale and raw collards are slightly chewier than greens such as spinach or arugula.

We enjoy raw collards so much that we've used them as burrito wraps and are equally excited about this salad. Paired with ripe juicy strawberries, avocado, quinoa, and a creamy tahini dressing this salad is the perfect spring meal.

Grab a fork!

Collard Green Salad with Strawberries & Tahini Dressing

Serves 4

For the dressing:
1/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon white miso
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

For the salad:
1 bunch collard greens
1 cup cooked quinoa (see how to cook quinoa)
1 ripe avocado, diced
1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced in half
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

To prepare the dressing whisk all of the ingredients together until smooth. This works best with an immersion blender or food processor. However, a hand whisk will be fine too. Taste test and set aside.

Thoroughly wash and dry the collard greens. Fold each leaf in half and slit away the the tough stem. Stack the collard greens on top of each other and then roll them up (like a cigar). Chop the greens into thin ribbons.

In a large bowl toss the collard green leaves with half the dressing, massaging the dressing into the collards. Add the quinoa, avocado, strawberries and walnuts. Drizzle with the remainder of the dressing and serve.