Mustard Quinoa Cranberry Kale Salad Recipes

KALE AND QUINOA SALAD

Steps:

• Bring water to a boil in a saucepan. Stir quinoa into the boiling water, reduce heat to medium-low, place cover on the saucepan, and cook until water absorbs into the quinoa, about 12 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and let rest covered for 5 minutes. Remove cover and allow quinoa to cool completely.
• Put kale in a large mixing bowl.
• Whisk olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, garlic, pepper, and salt together in a bowl until oil emulsifies into the mixture; drizzle over kale. Add cooled quinoa, pecans, currants, and feta cheese to the dressed kale and toss to incorporate.

KALE SALAD WITH QUINOA AND CRANBERRIES

Steps:

• Combine all of the ingredients for the dressing in a large bowl and set aside while you prep the kale. (This will soften the shallots and allow the flavors to get friendly).
• Add the chopped kale to the bowl with the dressing. Massage the kale in handfuls-literally rub the leaves between your fingers-for a minute or two, until the leaves soften and darken in color. (Yes, I know giving your salad a rubdown is a little weird, but it's worth it. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP.) Briefly set aside.
• Toast the almonds. Heat a small skillet over medium heat. (Do not put any oil in the pan!) Add the almonds to the pan and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, shaking the pan regularly, until golden brown and fragrant. Immediately transfer to a small bowl.
• Add the quinoa, along with half of the almonds and half of the cranberries to the kale and toss to combine.
• Transfer your salad to a serving platter or plates, top with the remaining almonds and cranberries, and sprinkle with the cheese.

KALE CRANBERRY FETA SALAD

Steps:

• Wash and stem the kale leaves. Chop into desired size and remove excess water using a salad spinner or dry with towels. Add to a large bowl.
• To the kale, add the cranberries, feta cheese crumbles, sliced almonds, and sliced apple.
• To make the lemon vinaigrette, combine all vinaigrette ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine. Alternatively, you can place all ingredients in a mason jar and shake to combine.
• Pour vinaigrette over salad and toss gently to combine. If desired, spread onto large serving platter and top with additional cranberries, feta, and sliced apples.

DEB'S KALE SALAD WITH APPLE, CRANBERRIES AND PECANS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spread the pecans on a baking tray. Toast them until lightly golden and fragrant, about 5 to 10 minutes, tossing them once or twice to make sure they bake evenly. Remove the tray from the oven and set them aside to cool.
• Pull the kale leaves off from the tough stems and discard the stems. Use a chef's knife to chop the kale into small, bite-sized pieces. Transfer the kale to a big salad bowl. Sprinkle a small pinch of sea salt over the kale and massage the leaves with your hands by lightly scrunching big handfuls at a time, until the leaves are darker in color and fragrant.
• Thinly slice the radishes (this is easier to do if you first chop off the root end so you can place the base of the radish flat against your cutting board). Add them to the bowl.
• Coarsely chop the pecans and cranberries (or cherries) and add them to the bowl. Chop the apple into small, bite-sized pieces and add it to the bowl as well. Crumble the goat cheese over the top.
• In a small bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients together and pour the dressing over the salad. Toss until the salad is evenly coated with dressing. Serve immediately, or for even better flavor, let the salad marinate in the dressing for 10 to 20 minutes beforehand.