March 12, 2013

kale quinoa salad

Unless you've been living under a rock, you probably know that kale and quinoa are incredibly healthy but they are also two things that ten years ago most of us were not using in our weekly (or even monthly) cooking repitoire. My mom has been raving about the kale quinoa salad at LGO and I thought it sounded delicious so we decided to make it the other day. It didn't turn out quite right so I tweaked a few things and it was amazing the second time. Try this - you won't regret it! I prefer it when it has been in the fridge for a couple of hours and is really cold. Mmmm.
4 cups kale, washed and chopped*
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
3 Tablespoons toasted sunflower seeds
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
2/3 cup red seedless grapes, sliced in half
1/2 cup feta cheese
Vinaigrette:
1 1/2 Tablespoons champagne vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoon minced shallots (or 1 large shallot)
1/4 cup canola oil
3 Tablespoons olive oil
3/4 teaspoon dried tarragon leaves
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 lemon, zested

In a small bowl combine vinegar, shallots and salt and set aside for 10 minutes to let the shallots soften. Add tarragon and pepper, then slowly whisk in oils to emulsify the vinaigrette. Stir in lemon zest and set aside.

Cook the 1/2 cup quinoa with 1 cup water for 15 minutes. Once all the liquid has been absorbed, move the cooked quinoa to a bowl to cool and set aside.

Place the kale and 1/4 cup of the vinaigrette in a large bowl and massage with hands for a couple of minutes. Add cooked quinoa, toasted sunflower seeds, bell pepper, grapes, feta and the rest of the dressing (as desired) and combine well. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.

*I buy the bag of cleaned and chopped kale from Trader Joe's because it's so easy! :)

4 comments:

  1. You should totally add a pin-it button to your posts....because I pin almost all of them ;) I love your recipes!

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  2. I can't wait to try this ! And,yes, please add a pin-it button !

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  3. Made this salad twice this week and shared it with friends! Different and delicious ~ thanks for the great recipes! :)

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  4. This is my very favorite! Love it!

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