Lemony Kale and Quinoa Salad
I'm a big fan of anything with lemon in it!
Ingredients
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1/2 bunch Dinosaur/Lacinato Kale*
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup uncooked quinoa
1 fresh lemon
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
4 oz crumbled feta
Instructions
1. Rinse the quinoa well in a wire-mesh colander with cool water to remove the saponins, a natural coating that can taste bitter. Remove the stems of the kale leaves by running a sharp knife along both sides of each stem. Roughly chop or rip the kale leaves 1/2 inch strips. Rinse the kale well in a colander.
2. Mince the garlic and add it to a large pan with the olive oil. Sauté over medium-low heat for one minute, or until the garlic is slightly softened. Add the rinsed kale and sauté for 2-3 minutes more, or just until the kale has wilted and looks dark green and glossy.
3. Add the rinsed quinoa to a pot along with vegetable broth. Stir the contents of the pot, place a lid on top, and turn the heat up to medium-high. Let the pot come to a boil. As soon as it does, reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 15 minutes. Make sure the pot is simmering the whole time.
4. While the pot is simmering, zest half of the lemon. Chop the walnuts and crumble the feta. Toast the walnuts in a dry skillet for a few minutes to bring out their flavor.
5. After 15 minutes, check the quinoa to see if it is done. Each granule should look slightly transparent with a white outer rim. If there is still a considerable amount of broth left in the bottom of the pot, replace the lid and let simmer for a few minutes more. If there is a small amount of liquid, simply remove the lid and sauté for a couple of minutes, or until the excess liquid evaporates.
6. Once the quinoa is cooked and any excess moisture has evaporated, remove the pot from the heat. Sprinkle the lemon zest over the kale and quinoa. Squeeze the juice from the lemon over the pot as well. Finally, sprinkle the chopped nuts and crumbled feta on top and serve.
Enjoy!
Original recipe link