I am going to keep giving this Kale stuff a try. I have found a few ways that I like it, so I am going to keep at it. Even if you don't like something prepared a certain way, you might like it another. Just like we tell our kids, keep trying.
We had a family party and I really wanted to make this salad for it. My sisters would be coming and two of them really like kale, so I figured if the salad wasn't something that I loved, they would like it.
It turns out, Everyone Loved IT! - Even the 18 month old babies were eating it. I think it is equals part technique and ingredients that make this so good.
I am so happy to have discovered this recipe, we are going to be eating it all spring and summer.
Ingredients:
½ cup quinoa, dry
1 cup water
2 chicken breasts, chopped small ( I left the chicken out - and we didn't miss it At All)
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
½ tsp ground garlic
4 to 5 cups of kale, chopped very small (very small, very very small)
¼ cup sunflower seeds
¼ cup golden raisins
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
For Lemon Vinaigrette
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp honey
Instructions:
Start by rinsing your quinoa - then combine 1 cup of water with the dry quinoa in a saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium high heat. Cover the saucepan and reduce the heat to low, let it simmer for about 15 minutes until the quinoa is tender. If there's any water left, make sure you drain the quinoa first.
While the quinoa is cooking, you can prepare the chicken. Add the olive oil to a large skillet and heat over medium high heat. Add the chicken pieces, season with the salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Cook for about 8 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink but it's just starting to brown a bit. Remove chicken from skillet and let cool.
In a large bowl toss together the kale, cooked chicken, quinoa, sunflower seeds and raisins.
For Lemon Vinaigrette
Whisk together all the ingredients for the lemon vinaigrette in a small bowl. Adjust salt and pepper as necessary.
Pour the vinaigrette over the kale salad and toss really well. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese before serving.
