This was one of those recipes that I came across by googling the ingredients I had in my fridge. Then I modified the heck out of the recipe I found and it still ended up being absolutely delicious!

I needed something that both my one year old daughter and I would eat, and really wanted something healthy. This was a success on all fronts!

It was originally a kale salad. Yeah. My opinion on kale is that it’s only okay. I get that it’s really good for me but so are a whole pack of other leafy greens (plus, I didn’t have any kale) so I put in my favourite green: arugula. Delicious and peppery!

Ingredients
1 clove garlic, smashed
3 tablespoons tahini
3 tablespoons lemon juice (equivalent to juice from 1 large lemon)
5 cups arugula
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
One 15 1/2-ounce can garbanzo beans (chick peas) drained and rinsed
1 cup shredded chicken breast
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Heat a small saute pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil and garlic and cook just until fragrant, 2 minutes. Allow to cool slightly.

(Ignore how dirty my pan is. I used it to cook my chicken first because I was trying to cut down on dishes.)

In a large bowl, whisk together the tahini and lemon juice.

(I used a small bowl. It was very difficult to whisk. I also used lime juice because I didn’t have lemon and it still tasted great! Next time I’ll use lemon like I’m supposed to though.)

Gradually whisk in the garlic oil.

Now, the original recipe says to add the greens, salt and chickpeas and gently toss together, bringing the dressing up from the bottom to coat everything evenly. Then add the chicken and cranberries, and toss.

My daughter doesn’t like leafy greens yet. I keep trying but I think she’s not big on the texture. Considering they’re the only food she turns her nose up at I’m not willing to make a big deal about it just yet.

So what I did was add the chickpeas, chicken and cranberries to the bowl and bring the dressing up to coat everything. I served her that. Then I just took what I figured was a decent portion of that mixture to the bottom of a salad bowl, added 1.5 cups of arugula and mixed it up from the bottom. Perfect! And, also let me mix it up the next day with more fresh arugula. Salad all week! No wilted greens!

If you’re thinking of skipping the dried cranberries, DON’T DO IT!! The cranberries are delicious. They really give that extra pop to the salad and are fantastic. I might even add a little more next time.

The original recipe also said you could sprinkle with za’atar if you wanted before serving it. I have no idea what that is. The internet describes it as a wonderfully tangy, herb-forward Middle Eastern spice blend. Plus, the name is cool and I liked the rest of the salad so I’m going to assume that’s probably a good idea. I just went with cumin.

Enjoy!