blissful eats with tina jeffers: Kale, quinoa and fennel salad
I am definitely one of those people that live to eat. A small part of me has always wished I could be one of those people that didn’t care about food so much, it seems so simple to eat your satisfy hunger instead of spending your days dreaming about food. Then one day I realized that food and my love of it defines me and I wouldn’t change that for the world.
I love the act of shopping for food, trying new ingredients and combinations to dazzle my palate. I love to grow my own food, planting a seed in the ground, watching it grow. I love to cook, puttering around my kitchen filling my house with delicious smells and to share my creations to share with friends and family.
Since the act of eating to me is so much more than nourishing my body I have to balance the good with the bad. I don’t like to diet but I do need to have a healthy balance so that I can indulge in pizza and ice cream if I want as long as I have recipes like this kale, quinoa and fennel salad on days when I need to eat a little lighter. What’s ironic is the fact that I love to eat a kale salad as much as I crave a cheeseburger I just need to remind myself of that sometimes when I get caught up in dining out or lazy.
This salad comes together in a matter of minutes especially if you happen to have some leftover quinoa on hand, which I seem to do more often than not. It’s also great to make ahead of time since the kale can hold up to the dressing and if anything tastes better the next day.
Kale, quinoa and fennel salad
Ingredients:
1 bunch lacinto kale
1 cup cooked quinoa*
1 small bulb of fennel, trimmed and sliced paper thin
¼ cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon honey
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons sunflower seeds
Method:
Trim off the bottom few inches of kale and discard. Tear the kale into 1-inch pieces and place in a large bowl along with the fennel and quinoa. In a small bowl whisk together the lemon juice, honey and olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Pour the dressing over the kale mixture and toss well until all the leaves are well coated. Serve the salad with a sprinkling of Parmesan and a scattering of sunflower seeds.
*To cook quinoa: Rinse the quinoa in a mesh colander under running water to remove any bitter coating that might remain.
Place the quinoa in a medium bowl with 4 cups of water and cook for 12-14 minutes then drain in a colander. Place the colander over the pan you cooked the quinoa in, cover it with a clean dishtowel and let steam for 5 minutes until light and fluffy. To make the quinoa, first rinse the quinoa in a mesh colander under running water to remove any bitter coating that might remain.
Place the quinoa in a medium bowl with 4 cups of water and cook for 12-14 minutes then drain in a colander. Place the colander over the pan you cooked the quinoa in, cover it with a clean dishtowel and let steam for 5 minutes until light and fluffy.
Looking back I realized that I have quite a few kale salad recipes that I’ve posted so I thought I would include links to them if you are looking for some other great ways to enjoy this amazing fall vegetable. Happy eating!
Kale, grapefruit and coconut salad
tahini quinoa bowl with beets, kale and chickpeas
