Kale and Quinoa Salad

When you want to eat something satisfying and delicious, look no further than Kale and Quinoa Salad. With buttery avocado, creamy feta cheese and crunchy almonds, every bite is a little different. So easy to make and assemble, you’ll only need to cook the quinoa until light and fluffy then add it while it’s warm to thin kale ribbons that you’ve given a salt massage. Top with remaining ingredients and you’re ready to eat.

I got this text from my dad the other day. “William Blake dreamed of angels and devils if you believe his heated artwork…I had a dream about quinoa. 🙂 I’ve been dissatisfied with rice and polenta and potatoes, etc. and have been reading about quinoa and then I dreamed about it. And that stuff really makes you feel good. (If you don’t rinse it, it’s bitter.) So between quinoa and kale I’ve been eating pretty healthy and feeling pretty good!” And then I started to dream this salad.

What is Quinoa?

Quinoa is not a grain but a seed, a species of goosefoot (so appetizing 🙂 ). More comedy? It’s also closely related to tumbleweeds. But what makes it most unique is that, on it’s own, it’s a complete protein – a rarity among plants. It’s also delicious: nutty, grassy, buttery, and naturally gluten free. It’s endlessly amenable to other ingredients making it a perfect base ingredient or addition to salads, warm or cold.

Then there’s the chopped kale; it’s raw, with a salt massage of course. Since I discovered that trick with this warm kale salad, I use raw kale often, tossing it into salads and pasta dishes.  I used Lacinato kale (also called Tuscan kale), but curly kale would also work well.

The remaining ingredients in this kale salad are interchangeable. You might try goat cheese instead of feta or skip the cheese to make it vegan, add a tomato, swap in pistachios for the almonds – infinite possibilities! Instead of a vinaigrette, it’s dressed simply with fresh lemon juice and a generous drizzle of good olive oil.

Though I served this with warm cooked quinoa initially, we enjoyed the leftovers straight from the fridge for lunch the next day, great for meal prep. It’s hearty enough to be a meal on its own, but also makes a great side dish. One of those versatile salad recipes that you’ll find yourself turning to often.

How to Make Kale and Quinoa Salad

Step 1: Carefully rinse dry quinoa then simmer covered until tender and curlicues appear.

Step 2: Slice kale into thin ribbons and massage with salt until tender and dark green.

Step 3: Toss warm quinoa with kale, lemon juice and olive oil. Then top with almonds, feta, avocado and red pepper flakes and serve!