« Quinoa with Kale and Goat Cheese »

This time of year, I am always on the look-out for innovative and unique recipes that use kale. So when I saw this recipe on the food52 website, it immediately caught my attention. Hopefully, it will catch your attention as well....as it is fabulous!

I love whole grains and brown rice, but I loathe the time it take to cook them. Quinoa, on the other hand, is an entirely different story.  Like bulgur wheat, it is ready to eat in under 20 minutes and it requires little attention to prepare.  

The quinoa and kale in this recipe are cooked in "one pot", which significantly cuts down on clean-up time.  The technique also produces perfectly cooked kale, which adds both texture and color to the finished dish. (I was initially a little skeptical of this step. But trust me, it works.)

After the quinoa and kale are cooked,  the mixture is tossed with a bright lemon vinaigrette, scallions, goat cheese and pine nuts. Super easy and fast.

With the addition of quinoa, goat cheese and pine nuts, this salad is protein-packed. I often eat it as a light main course, with a tossed salad. It is also lovely as a side dish, served with grilled meat.  Best of all, this recipe makes a lot, so there is always plenty left for brown-bag lunches! 

I would give it a try. The printable recipe is here.

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If you would like to read more about the global politics of quinoa, this is a very interesting article in the NY Times.  We sometimes forget how privileged we are to pay $5.00 for a bag of quinoa.

*The original recipe called for walnut oil.  I substituted olive oil which worked well.  I also increased the amount of oil to 1/4 cup, which is a more traditional vinaigrette ratio. (i.e. 3 parts oil to 1 part lemon juice)