winter solstice salad

this beautiful and simple warm salad is perfect for your holiday meal. this one is dedicated to my bookwormettes! this salad is also HUGE and will serve 8 with left overs.

 

i named it winter solstice salad because it highlights the beautiful colors associated with the plants and flowers that bloom during winter.

the beauty of this salad lies in the slight cooking and wilting of the kale from the heat of the quinoa, acid of the citrus and oil.

ingredients:

1 large bunch of medium sized kale

2 cups quinoa

4 cups water

1 inch piece ginger

medium shallot

2 lemons or limes

1 large pomegranate

plenty of good olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

 

to prep:

add quinoa, salt, and ginger to water in a med sized pot. bring to boil and then reduce to a simmer. let simmer for about 15-20 min. each tiny circle should have uncurled and expanded, the water should be gone from the pot.  remove from heat and let sit for 10 min.

while quinoa is cooking prep kale.

removing thick parts of stem

 

stacking the pieces and cutting into ribbons. put into a large bowl.

 

 

chop shallot and add to bowl.

 

when quinoa is done cooking add hot quinoa to kale and shallot. toss well. there should be equal parts kale and quinoa.

 

add juice of lemons or limes and olive oil to coat kale & quinoa. add salt and pepper to taste.

break apart a whole pomegranate and add to salad.

 

 

i’ve been thinking about how you could make this a grain free dish. you could sub the quinoa for grated cauliflower but you would have to cook the kale a bit and let the salad sit longer to marinate.

enjoy!