Saturday, February 1, 2014

Blueberry, Kale and Quinoa Salad with Fresh Blueberry Vinaigrette

Ingredients

For the Salad:
2 cups water
1 cup raw quinoa, rinsed and drained
1/2 bunch kale (6-8 large leaves), stems removed
1 Tbsp avocado or olive oil, preferably organic
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
1 cup grape tomatoes, cut in half
1/4 cup chopped red onion
3/4 cup fresh blueberries

For the Dressing:
3/4 cup fresh blueberries
1/4 cup avocado or olive oil, preferably organic
juice of 1 lemon
1 large clove garlic, chopped

Instructions

Make the salad: Bring the water to a boil in a medium pot; add the quinoa, cover, and lower heat to a simmer. Cook for 18 minute then remove from heat and turn the quinoa into a large bowl to cool to room temperature.
Meanwhile, wash and dry the kale. Chop into bite-sized pieces and place in a large salad bowl with the 1 Tbsp (15 ml) oil and salt. "Massage" with your (clean) hands by kneading and squeezing the kale between your thumb and fingers until it becomes shiny, softer and a shade darker. This will allow the kale to be digested more easily.
Add the tomatoes, red onion and blueberries to the bowl and toss.
Make the dressing: combine all dressing ingredients in a blender and blend until creamy. Pour over the salad and toss to coat. Add the cooled quinoa and toss again. Makes 4-6 servings.

I found this recipe on cookingquinoa.net The original recipe called for only 1/2 cup of quinoa which wasn't enough so I ended up making an additional 1/2 cup which seemed just right. Cameron and I enjoyed it. I'll probably wait until blueberries are on sale before making it again as it is pretty expensive. This picture is from their website. Mine didn't look like this as I used lacinato kale.


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