Radicchio Salad with Tahini Yogurt Dressing

Dietician  explains why this radicchio salad is so good for your gut. “This salad is full of flavourful Mediterranean ingredients like bitter radicchio, tart plums, crunchy walnuts and creamy yogurt.

We really do not eat enough bitter vegetables because our palettes tend to be overly used to salty and sweet foods. Bitter greens such as radicchio and rapini stimulate digestion and are a wonderful balm for someone who craves sweets. Mint adds another layer of flavour to this special salad and helps to soothe the gut.”

There’s something quietly luxurious about a salad that balances deep-leafed bitterness with sweet fruit and a tangy, creamy dressing — and this Plum & Radicchio Salad with Tahini Yogurt Dressing from registerered dietician Desiree Neilsen delivers exactly that. Inspired by Mediterranean flavours, it combines radicchio, plums, walnuts, and fresh mint with a creamy tahini-yogurt dressing, creating a colourful, nutrient-rich dish perfect for a heart-healthy, plant-forward lifestyle.

As Nielsen notes, “bitter greens such as radicchio stimulate digestion,” making this salad not only visually striking but also wonderfully gut-friendly. Layered on a base of finely shredded red radicchio, slices of ripe plums glisten like jewels. The crunch of raw walnuts and the subtle sweetness of Medjool dates add warmth and texture, while the tahini-yogurt dressing brings a creamy, slightly nutty finish that ties every element together.

Perfect as a light lunch, a stunning starter at dinner, or a colourful side, this salad pairs beautifully with other Mediterranean-inspired recipes, like the crisp Kohlrabi Chopped Salad or Grilled Mediterranean Octopus.

Whether you’re drawn by cravings for colour, flavour, or gut-friendly nourishment — this salad delivers them all.

Radicchio Salad with Tahini Yogurt Dressing

Desiree Nielsen

Desiree Nielsen's gut-healthy salad has radicchio, plums and walnuts then tossed in a creamy Tahini Yogurt dressing

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Ingredients

Tahini Yogurt Dressing

• ½ cup coconut or greek yogurt
• 2 tbsp tahini
• 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 small clove garlic grated with a microplane
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp organic cane sugar
• ½ tsp ground sumac
• ¼ tsp red chili flakes

Radicchio Salad

• 1 small head red radicchio finely shredded
• 4 firm black or red plums pitted and sliced
• ¼ cup raw walnuts chopped
• ¼ cup Medjool dates pitted and chopped
• ¼ cup fresh mint leaves thinly sliced into ribbons

Instructions

 

Tahini Yogurt Dressing

• In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut yogurt, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, salt, cane sugar, sumac and chili flakes. If needed, add 1 to 2 tbsps of water for desired consistency. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Plum and Radicchio Salad

• In a medium bowl, toss the radicchio with half of the dressing. Layer the plums, walnuts, dates and mint overtop of the radicchio. Serve with the remaining dressing on the side.

Notes

Tip: The Tahini Yogurt Dressing can also be used as a dipping sauce for vegetables. 

Keyword bitter greens, easy Mediterranean salad, Medjool Dates, radicchio, tahini, tahini dressing

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Excerpted from Good for Your Gut by Desiree Nielsen. Copyright © 2022 by Desiree Nielsen. Published by Penguin Canada, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.