Kale and Quinoa Salad Recipe

This Kale and Quinoa Salad is a extremely tasty salad that simply occurs to star two tremendous meals – kale and quinoa. Contemporary herbs, crushed nuts and feta plus an attractive lemon dressing makes this Kale Salad so tasty, it’s delicious sufficient to have as meal or as a facet dish.

The key to creating uncooked kale actually tasty is to therapeutic massage it with olive oil and salt. This tenderises the kale, and makes uncooked kale salads actually scrumptious!

Kale and Quinoa Salad

Simply 3 hours in the past, I power fed an enormous spoonful of this to a kale/quinoa cynic, and watched with glee because the scrunched up face of “I hate kale – AND QUINOA!” become a stunned look of “that is critically tasty!”

Sure. This can be a kale salad that even kale haters will get pleasure from. It’s that good!

The key to make uncooked kale tasty – tenderise it by rubbing with olive oil and salt!

10 years in the past once I watched Lidia Bastiniach make a kale and bean stew, I needed to search large and much to seek out kale. 5 years in the past, kale change into “all the craze”, and I refused to pay the ridiculous costs for it. Australia even had a kale scarcity!!!

These days, kale is definitely superb worth – often $2 a bunch from Harris Farms which is the place I store for many of my fruit & veg. And it’s an enormous bunch. An enormous bunch of hardy, powerful leaves that aren’t that nice to eat with out doing “one thing” to it.

Enter – your new favorite method to put together kale leaves to eat uncooked. Tenderise it. Wash it, chop it, scrunch it with oil, salt & pepper (lemon or vinegar can also be good), depart for half-hour. It tenderises the leaves, making it tasty sufficient to even eat plain.

What goes on this Kale Salad

Even when kale has been marinated, it does have a stronger flavour than most leafy greens. So what I love to do is add loads of different recent flavours and textures. So right here’s what goes on this kale salad:

• Uncooked kale – chopped and marinated in olive oil

• Contemporary herbs – dill and coriander/cilantro is my favorite combine. Each are superbly aromatic, so that they add nice flavour to mood the in any other case slightly dominant flavour of kale.

• Almonds – or different nuts, for texture and flavour

• Quinoa – to fill it out, add texture and nutty flavour

• Purple onion – for freshness

• Feta – salty little pops of creamy feta is all the time a welcome addition to salads!

• Lemon dressing – it’s recent and zesty, and I like that this lemon dressing actually tastes of lemon slightly than simply being bitter (the key is the zest! Lemon zest rocks!)

Toss all this collectively, and voila! You have got an unimaginable kale salad that even the best of kale cynics will get pleasure from!

This kale salad will preserve within the fridge for 3 days – so it’s nice for work lunches and as a standby facet!

I added quinoa into this, as a result of this can be a salad that was born put up my latest journeys to Japan and New Zealand, after which I used to be peeved however not stunned to see that my denims had been nonetheless as cosy as they had been pre-trip. Snowboarding in Japan, trekking and biking in New Zealand – Mr Scales! WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT FROM ME! (OK, vacation feasting and Japanese sake / fabulous NZ wine sampling didn’t assist).

So I stuffed this salad out with quinoa to make it filling sufficient to be a meal in itself. Which, by the way, is a good tip to make a veg + filling fibre wealthy facet for meals.

It appears acceptable to share this Kale and Quinoa Salad put up Easter. Detoxing after a protracted weekend of constant feasting – particularly if the Easter Bunny dropped by your home and left you with a load of irresistibly vibrant, shiny foil wrapped eggs calling your title. 😩

Do that Kale and Quinoa Salad as a facet on your subsequent dinner (eg. barely burnt chicken schnitzel, as pictured beneath – fried meals = much less guilt with kale on the facet). It should pair with something, from these nice fast Baked Chicken Breasts to crispy Garlic Chicken Thighs, to Baked Pork Chops or marinated Pork Chops.

 

Kale and Quinoa Salad Recipe

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Serves: 3 Prep Time: 45 minutes Cooking Time: 15 minutes 15 minutes

Nutrition facts: 579 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

Ingredients

• 8 cups (packed) kale leaves (Note 1)
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper
• 1 cup quinoa, any colour
• 2 cups water
• Zest of 1 large lemon
• 2 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard (or American)
• 1 garlic clove , minced
• 1 tsp sugar (optional, I add it)
• 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup dill leaves , roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup coriander/cilantro leaves , roughly chopped
• 1 red onion , quartered and finely sliced (optional)
• 1/3 – 1/2 cup chopped roasted almonds
• 100 g/3.5oz crumbled feta

Instructions

1. Scrunch up the kale leaves then slice to about 1cm / 2/5″ thickness.
2. Transfer to large bowl.
3. Drizzle over oil, scatter with salt and pepper. Use your hands to scrunch the kale leaves for 1 minute (see video). It should shrink to about half the size.
4. Set aside for 30 minutes. The leaves will soften, making them suitable for eating raw.
5. Place quinoa in a fine mesh colander, then rinse under running water for 30 seconds. Drain excess water well. (Or do this in a big bowl)
6. Place in a saucepan with water. Cover with lid, bring to simmer over medium heat then leave for 12 – 15 minutes until all water is absorbed.
7. Remove from heat, leave lid on, and rest for 5 – 10 minutes. Fluff with fork then cool (spread on tray and refrigerate to speed up).
8. Place ingredients in a jar, screw lid on and shake well. Set aside for 10 minutes.
9. Add the quinoa into the bowl with the kale. Add all the dill and coriander/cilantro, half the nuts, feta, and 2/3 of dressing.
10. Toss well.
11. Transfer into serving platter or bowls. Drizzle with remaining dressing, garnish with remaining feta and nuts. 
12. See Note 3 for serving suggestions – I’ve been having this as a meal, just plain.

Notes

1. TO REMOVE KALE LEAVES – see video, it’s helpful. Hold the kale by the stem them grasp the base of the leafy part then run your hand up the stem to remove the leaves.
AMOUNT TO USE: No need for 100% accuracy here because the kale wilts so much with marinating. Use 8 cups jam packed with the kale leaves (before chopping).
TYPE OF KALE: Tuscan or curly kale is fine to use for this technique. I use curly kale because it’s the more common one here in Australia and it’s cheaper.
2. STORAGE: This is a great salad to keep for a few days – kale is quite hardy (unlike normal salad leaves which wilt quickly on contact with dressing). It’s great for 2 days, still good on Day 3. I like to hold back some of the Dressing (see recipe steps) for this reason – because it freshens up the salad to add dressing if serving after the day of making it.
3. HOW TO SERVE: I’ve been obsessively eating this as a meal. The quinoa makes this filling so you’re not craving ice cream 30 minutes after dinner. Try adding shredded chicken or even canned tuna for more protein. 
It’s also terrific served as a side for any cooked protein because it’s veg + filling carb in one.
4. This is the nutrition assuming this is served as a meal (3 servings from recipe). I honestly find this filling as a meal (thank you Mr Quinoa), and I don’t even have the urge for ice cream! If used as a side for 6, it is 289 calories per person and I consider this to be a good veg + filling carby side for a meal.

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