Add the dressing ingredients (except honey) to a bowl - tahini, garlic, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, salt, and pepper. Use a fork or whisk to stir until smooth.
Taste and add honey if desired. Taste again and adjust as needed, it should be slightly sweet, somewhat tart, but with a nice mild bitter undertone from the tahini. Feel free to add more water, a little at a time, as needed to thin out the dressing.
For the Salad:
Wash the kale well and strip the leaves from the stems. Dry well (salad spinner!) and roughly chop into small bite-sized pieces.
To massage the kale, drizzle it with a little olive oil (2 teaspoons) and a sprinkle of fine sea salt. Using your hands, massage the kale for 30-90 seconds until it softens and is well coated with the olive oil.
In a dry skillet, toast the pumpkin seeds, stirring occasionally, until they develop a little bit of color, about 3 minutes. Drizzle with just a half a teaspoon of olive oil and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper then remove from pan to cool.
Toss the salad with the dressing, then add the pomegranate and pumpkin seeds. I prefer to add half the toppings at first, toss well, then top with the remaining toppings so it looks pretty!
Can serve immediately, or can make ahead several hours or the day before.
Notes
Keep a close eye on the pumpkin seeds while you're toasting them - nuts and seeds can burn quickly.
Taste your tahini dressing before you mix it with the kale. Different brands can vary widely in bitterness!
To open a pomegranate, make a 5-part cut on the top (where the stem sticks out). Remove this pentagonal piece, then score the skin starting at the 5 corners and going all the way down. Pull the pomegranate open and pop out the seeds while removing the white membrane. Keep a bowl of water handy to help.
Leftover pumpkin seeds are great for snacking, or you can make enough to go with this amazing carrot-turmeric-ginger soup! Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.