me again.

what a bad friend ~ you don’t hear from me for weeks, and then you get incessant post after post.

but this is how my life is ~ 7 gigs in a week, then nothing for a week, then no students, then all the students in the world, then i have amazing, undying energy, then i have none.  this is the life of an artist.

(it makes me laugh to call myself an artist.  so high-brow.  really, i’m just a gig whore trying to make a living, that’s all.)

enough about me!  let’s talk TAHINI!

have you been using tahini?  it’s not just for hummus anymore.  you can find a really good brand at trader joe’s.  it’s in a jar, which makes it easier to use than when it comes in a can.  and this brand is not too expensive.  it’s also organic, for what it’s worth.

my mom (hi mom!) heard somewhere that sesame seeds are good for arthritis.  it’s a good fat, that’s for sure, and it’s delicious.  and tahini paste is sesame seed paste, in case you didn’t know.

WELL, there’s this amazing restaurant in town called westside local, and they have the most fantastic kale salad with tahini dressing.  i went there last night with the hub, and asked for the recipe, or at least the ingredients, of said tahini dressing.  the server just laughed at me.  WHAT!  GIVE ME THE RECIPE!!!

my stubborn, scottish, don’t-like-to-be-laughed-at side came home and recreated the dressing, and folks ~ IT’S BETTER.  ha HA!

here’s the recipe.  make this dressing and toss it with your cleaned and chopped kale the day before you want to eat it, so the dressing can soften that kale a bit.

• 1-2 tablespoons tahini
• 1 tablespoon stone-ground mustard
• juice of a lemon
• squirt of honey (1 teaspoon?)
• kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper
• any kind of herbs you want (i added dill)
• whisk, and drizzle in some olive oil while whisking.  only about 1-2 tablespoons needed.

that’s all folks.  it’s that easy!

for a really flavorful kale salad, toss with a little parmesan, shaved brussels sprouts, your favorite nut (pecans, walnuts, whatever), and top with a piece of crispy pan-fried salmon.

that’s what they do at westside local and it is sensational.

that’s also what they do at pixy’s kitchen, y’all.  and it’s probably even healthier.  BOOM.

here’s a picture of today’s salad.  oh man, salad is soooo good when you make it right…