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Summer Kale Salad

adapted from Kathryne Taylor, "Kale and Quinoa Salad with Crisp Celery, Plumped Cranberries, and Lemon Dressing," Love Real Food

Servings: 6
Ingredients
  • ½ cup quinoa, rinsed
  • 1 cup water
  • ⅓ cup dried tart cherries or cranberries
  • 1 bunch kale about 8 large leaves of curly green or Lacinato/dino kale
  • 2 ribs fresh celery
dressing
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice, divided (half for massaging kale)
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard Edmond Fallot
  • 2 teaspoons maple syrup
  • 1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
toppings:
  • almonds, toasted (sliced or whole) toast in a frying pan with a tiny bit of olive oil, 5–8 minutes
  • goat cheese, crumbled
  • blueberries
Instructions

  1. Combine the rinsed quinoa and water in a small saucepan. Bring to boil then reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Simmer, uncovered, for 11–12 minutes until the quinoa is cooked then remove from heat. (I prefer it crunchy to mushy, so I start checking at 11 minutes; when the texture I like, I drain remaining water.)

  2. Sprinkle dried cherries/cranberries on top of cooked quinoa and cover the pot. Let steam for 10 minutes then remove the lid, fluff the quinoa with a fork, and set aside.

massage the kale and make the dressing

  1. Remove the rib from each kale leaf, stack the leaves, slice thinly and crosswise into manageable pieces. Transfer to a large salad bowl, spritz with lemon, a pinch or two of salt, and massage with your hands until the leaves have reduced in volume by about one-third.

  2. Mix the dressing in a jar or small bowl: remaining lemon juice, mustard, maple syrup, garlic, salt and black pepper, then whisk in the olive oil.

assemble the salad

  1. Add the celery and quinoa/cherries to the kale. Drizzle in the dressing and toss. Serve with crumbled goat cheese and toasted almonds. If you have any fresh blueberries that need to be eaten, toss those in too.