While this salad is hearty enough to eat as a main dish, you can also serve as a side. Here are a few great main courses that the salad will enhance!
Dad’s Deli Meatloaf #meat
Roast Chicken #poultry
Blackened Spice Cod #fish
Cast Iron Skillet Pizza #vegetarian
Garden Pasta #vegan #vegetarian
Kale, Broccoli and Quinoa Salad
The taste of this kale salad is totally enhanced by roasting the broccoli, toasting the almonds and the quinoa. Each adds a wonderful flavor to a hearty salad. Those who shy away from kale should know that with chopping and a bit of massaging, the toughness is eliminated, making the salad very appealing! Surprisingly, kale has been cultivated for several thousand years and was often used as a complete meal. Something ancient has become a modern favorite!
Kale, Broccoli and Quinoa Salad
Yield 4 servings as a side
#vegan #kale #broccoli #quinoa #salad
1 head broccoli, cut into florets
olive oil for drizzling
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1 cup dry quinoa
1 ½ cups water
3 cups kale, chopped with ribs removed
¾ cup sliced almonds
½ cup dried cranberries
Dressing
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
¼ tsp sea salt
¼ tsp black pepper
Roast Broccoli
-
Preheat oven to 400°F. Chop and break off broccoli into small florets.
-
Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread out on parchment lined baking sheet.
-
Roast 15 to 20 minutes or until the edges are browned.
-
Toast almonds in a dry saucepan over medium heat. Stir for 3-4 minutes to prevent burning.
Quinoa
-
Rinse and drain quinoa using a fine mesh strainer or sieve.
-
Warm a small pot to medium-high heat. Lightly toast quinoa to remove excess water, stirring often.
-
Add water, set burner to high heat. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered with lid slightly ajar for 13 minutes or until quinoa is fluffy and liquid absorbed. Add water if all is absorbed before the quinoa is done.
-
Fluff with fork. Lightly season with pinch of salt and pepper. Transfer to a mixing bowl.
Dressing
-
Peel and mince clove of garlic. Add lemon juice. Combine in small bowl or lidded jar.
-
Add olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.
-
Whisk or shake well. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. A dd a touch of sugar or maple syrups if sweetness is preferred.
Assembly
-
In the large mixing bowl with cooked quinoa, add roasted broccoli, chopped kale, toasted almonds and dried cranberries.
-
Pour dressing on top and toss well. Taste and add additional salt and pepper desired.
Expandthetable suggestions
Add cheese: Sprinkle 1/2 cup feta into salad
Add meat: Add thinly sliced beef or chicken to salad
Add beets: Add canned, sliced beets to salad
Add fruit: Add sliced apples, pears or sliced strawberries for a sweet addition!
Adapted from Peas and Crayons
Foodie Lit
In this gift giving season, one of the best gifts we can give our children is reading to them in their childhood. Even after they grow old enough to read for themselves, the act of reading out loud is magical and should be continued. A mother of a 3-year-old once asked me when she should start reading to her young son. I gasped, I’m afraid. I had started reading to my daughter when she was a few weeks old, and her younger brother joined us when we came home from the hospital the day after his birth! Here are a few young children’s books to read aloud, to read together. Read at bedtime, read during the day with a child on your lap, read with a child next to you on the floor. With reading and math scores plummeting across the country, reading to your children, grandchildren or any children in your life, will give them three things that will help them in their lives: love of reading, love of adventure and love of a beloved family member who took the time to read to a cherished child.
Check out the children's books reviews!
