Savory Dijon Dressing

I’m glad it’s a short work week, but I still feel like I’m getting my bump of direction after the long and full weekend. I was slightly cranky today after not getting a great night’s sleep for some reason. Hopefully I’ll make up for it tonight. Last week I impulsed purchased a new flavor of Garden of Life’s Raw Protein with Guayaki Yerba Mate tea blended in at Whole Foods, I couldn’t resist with the $5 coupon.

By itself, the protein powder is mildly sweet and with a tea-like flavor and it’s in a very fine powder than blends smoothly into smoothies, it does not seem gritty or earthy as hemp protein powder can. But the tea flavor was barely noticeable when I blended it into a smoothie with carrots, kale, chia seeds, and a banana.

It’s sweeter than the plain flavor and something I’d buy again to mix up breakfast smoothies more. And it’s something that could be great blended into simple raw frozen banana ice cream.

Tonight I discovered another food Skipper likes – kale stems.

He was happy to chew them up while I was working on a kale salad for a new dressing recipe I decided to try. Since kale can have a stronger flavor that’s slightly bitter, I like to pair it with tangy, savory, and maybe slightly smokey dressing. This Dijon dressing hit the spot with a tangy creaminess from hemp seeds and tahini, and spicy flare from Dijon mustard.

The creamy texture is perfect for coating kale leaves.

It adds a savory smokiness to the cool and crisp veggies while making a salad more hearty.

And the slight sweetness from the raisins adds a little playfulness.