RECIPE TWENTY EIGHT: Monday October 9th - warm kale, coconut and tomato salad

BACK STORY:
Despite the heavy presence of kale, this seemed like a pretty easy recipe to make and I had all the ingredients. Plus anything with fresh tomatoes this time of year is perfection! 

NOTES:
I did not roast the kale and coconut separately; I layered them on top of the tomatoes and let it all wilt and cook together. (I figured it would all be going together later in the bowl anyway.) The dressing calls for a lot of ingredients I didn't already have - tahini and miso for starters - but the blended flavors were fantastic and I'm glad I actually followed the recipe instead of trying to make an alternative. I did use a brown miso paste from a bag instead of the white the recipe calls for - but since I don't know the difference in flavors, it was still delicious.

STARS: 
3 out of 5. Incredibly delicious but rather time-consuming to roast the tomatoes and kale and make the dressing. Worth it for the flavors, but not an every-day meal.

RECIPE:
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018114-warm-kale-coconut-and-tomato-salad

INGREDIENTS

• 12 ounces cherry tomatoes, approximately 1 pint basket
• 3 to 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
•  Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
• 2 to 3 limes, well scrubbed if waxed
• 12 ounces green or purple kale, approximately 2 heads, lower stalks removed and leaves torn into pieces
• ¼ cup unsweetened dehydrated shaved coconut
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 inch fresh ginger root, peeled and grated, approximately 1 tablespoon
• 1 tablespoon white miso paste
• 1 tablespoon tahini
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 red serrano or jalapeño pepper, finely chopped

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  Nutritional Information

PREPARATION

1. Heat oven to 425. Rinse the tomatoes well, dry with paper towels and cut them in half, then place on a sheet pan. Dress with 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt, pepper, the zest of 2 limes and the juice of 1 of them. Roast the tomatoes until just blistered and beginning to take on color, approximately 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, mix together the kale, coconut shavings and soy sauce, and place on another sheet pan. Roast these in the oven next to or below the tomatoes for approximately 5 to 10 minutes, or until the kale has begun to crisp at its edges.
3. Make the dressing in a small bowl, combining the grated ginger root, the miso, the tahini, the honey, the pepper, the juice of the second lime and the remaining olive oil. Adjust seasonings to your liking – you may wish to increase the amount of lime juice with a third lime, to thin the dressing.
4. Put the tomatoes and kale into a large serving bowl, and drizzle the dressing over the top, a few tablespoons at a time; you may not need all the dressing if the tomatoes are particularly juicy. Serve warm.