Kale, Sweet Potato, Date & Walnut Chopped Salad

“If you have time, dress the salad 10 minutes before you serve it, as the kale leaves will ‘cook’ a little in the dressing and become softer, which is nicer!” — Clodagh McKenna
Ingredients
Serves 4
Salad
- 2 sweet potatoes
- 8½ cups kale, coarse stems removed, leaves chopped, washed
- 1½ cups dates, pitted and chopped
- 1 cup walnuts, chopped (or almonds or hazelnuts, if you prefer)
Dressing
- ½ cup Parmesan, finely grated
- ½ cup well-stirred tahini
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- Juice 1 lemon
- 1 tbsp honey
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 7 tbsp water
- Sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Prepare Vegetables
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Place sweet potatoes in hot oven for 30 minutes, or until cooked through. (A knife should pierce them with no resistance.)
- Allow to cool, then peel and chop into 1″ pieces and place in mixing bowl. Add kale, dates and nuts.
Make Dressing and Assemble Salad
- In separate bowl, add all dressing ingredients except water, salt and pepper, and whisk together. While whisking, drizzle in water slowly so it emulsifies.
- Pour dressing into mixing bowl with salad ingredients. Season with salt and pepper, toss well and serve.
Source
Recipes adapted from Clodagh’s Happy Cooking: 100 Easy, Speedy, Healthy Recipes for Good Mood Food by Clodagh McKenna. Photography by David Loftus. ©2026 by Octopus Publishing Group. Excerpted with permission from Kyle Books. All rights reserved