Quinoa Kale Confetti Salad

Kale Quinoa Salad

Jul 7, 2011 | Wendy Polisi

by Wendy Polisi on July 7, 2011

The week of July 4 is always a big deal around our house because in addition to the holiday its my husbands birthday week. There is always a lot of food and very little work happening! In fact – and I’m almost embarrassed to admit this – I’ve read nine silly novels since I shut my computer down on Friday. Yep, nine. It has been a long time since I unplugged and I must say, I did a very nice job of it.

Of course, there was still a lot of cooking going on. I made Eggplant Parmesan yesterday, which is probably my favorite recipe. Needless to say I over indulged a bit.

Today, I’m finally trying to get back into the swing of things and that includes trying to get my diet back on track. I’m doing this with this amazing recipe that I’ve adapted very lightly from Fat Free Vegan. (Which is an amazing site by the way) I love a good chickpea salad, and this one really fits the bill.

One thing I really like about this dish is that although the quinoa and kale would work just fine on their own, they work beautifully together. I’m making a big salad for dinner tonight and planning on tossing in some left over quinoa.
Confetti Quinoa Salad Recipe lightly adapted from Fat Free Vegan

Quinoa Kale Confetti Salad

1 cup quinoa, rinsed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 red pepper, diced
1/4 yellow pepper, diced
3 green onions, sliced thin (including green part)
1/2 cup raw cashews
4 cloves garlic, minced (divided)
1 tsp vegetable boullion
1 onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 1/2 cups chickpeas
1 bunch of kale, sliced
1 tsp oregano
2 T basil
hot sauce, to taste

Spray a saucepan with olive oil spray and add garlic, yellow pepper, red pepper and quinoa. Cook for 30 seconds. Add 1 1/4 cups water (or broth) and bring to a simmer. Reduce to low, cover and cook for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to steam for 5 more minutes.
Soak cashews at room temperature over night. Place in the blender with 3/4 cup water, 2 cloves garlic and vegetable boullion. Blend for three minutes, or until smooth.
Spray a skillet with olive oil and add onion. Cook for 5 minutes. Add red pepper and cook 8 more minutes. Add in remaining 2 cloves garlic and cook for thirty more seconds. Add in the drained chickpeas, kale and 2 T water. Cover and cook at medium for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add cashew sauce and oregano. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook until sauce thickens. Add basil and hot sauce and serve over quinoa.

Preparation time: 30 minute(s)

Cooking time: 30 minute(s)

Diet type: Vegan

Number of servings (yield): 6

Calories: 378

Fat: 10.2

Protein: 16.5

5 : ★★★★★ 1 review(s)

Recipe by Cooking Quinoa.

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