This salad is a perfect marriage between the two hottest nutritional stars of our time: Kale and Quinoa. But it’s so much more than just a trendy salad. It’s hearty and crunchy and sweet and nutty, and has so much flavor and texture that my mouth went into overload--in the best way possible.
I adapted this recipe from Smitten Kitchen, who adapted it from a popular New York restaurant called The Smith. This is actually part of my continued love affair with Smitten Kitchen and Deb Perelman’s blog and cookbook. She’s a genius and superbly talented, and if you don’t know who she is, check out her blog (smittenkitchen.com) and buy her book.
The only thing I changed was the cheese, and the only reason I changed it was because I couldn’t find ricotta salata, a crumbly Italian cheese made from sheep’s milk. It really is quite perfect, and I hope you’ll try it.
Ingredients
1 bunch lacinato kale (also called dinosaur, tuscan, or Italian kale)
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
1/2 cup slivered almonds, very well toasted and cooled
1/3 cup dried cranberries
3 scallions, thinly sliced
2 tsp chopped fresh dill
1/4 cup asiago cheese, crumbled or finely grated (or use ricotta salata if you can find it)
zest of one lemon
Dressing
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp coarse dijon mustard
1 tsp honey
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Combine the quinoa and 1 1/2 cups water in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer with a couple pinches of salt. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, until tender. Drain excess liquid and spread the quinoa on a plate to cook quickly.
Wash and dry your kale. Remove the rib from each stalk with a knife. Chop the kale into ribbons and add to a large salad bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and toss.
Whisk the dressing ingredients in a small bowl, and pour over the salad. Season with salt and pepper, toss and enjoy!
This makes a big salad. Serves 8.
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