Fresh flavors. Seasonal greens. Creamy goodness without dairy or mayo. I’ve been adapting raw food “salads” to the contents of my produce box and what I feel like having on hand for a quick and tasty meal. The results make me wonder why I never thought of this before! Greens, even sturdy ones like dino kale, don’t have to be cooked to be good. And the real beauty of this salad, is that it gets better the longer it sits. (I don’t know how long, as it never seems to last more than 2 days in my house.)
Raw Kale Salad with Quinoa
serves 2 – 4
1 bunch organic Dino Kale (aka black Tuscan kale), washed, stalks removed, leaves sliced thinly
3 small lemons, juiced to yield about 1/3 cup lemon juice
½ small red onion, sliced very thinly
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon agave nectar
¼ teaspoon sea salt or Himalayan pink salt
2 cups cooked quinoa (see Kitchen Coach Tips below)
1 avocado, peeled, pit removed, and diced into 1/4 inch dice
Place the kale and onion in a large ceramic bowl and drizzle with lemon juice, olive oil and agave nectar. Sprinkle with salt and stir with wooden spoon or rubber spatula. Add cooked quinoa and avocado and gently combine. Cover and place in refrigerator to let the kale relax with the lemon juice awhile.
Amy’s Kitchen Coach Tips
- Cook quinoa just as you would rice in a rice cooker!
- Be sure to rinse quinoa with water a few times before you start cooking. The seed produces a soapy flavored residue as a deterrent to pests — it is harmless to us, but doesn’t taste very good — so just put the quinoa in a bowl of water, swish and pour off the water two or three times.
- This salad is at its best about 4 hours after mixing, but stays tasty for a couple days
- (Count your lucky stars if you live near a friend with a Meyer lemon tree! They are great in this salad. (Thank you Andrea!))
