Quinoa is an ancient food. Quinoa is an awesome source of protein and fiber. It’s a complex protein and is a wonderful healing, anti-inflammatory food. Many people think of it as a grain. The part of quinoa that we eat is actually the seed of the plant, making it a gluten and grain free food. I suggest soaking your quinoa in the morning to prepare for an evening meal, or the night before if you’d like to make this in the morning. Quinoa can be bitter without soaking. Soaking opens the seed coat and allows water to better penetrate and cook the quinoa.
This salad was great on our brunch menu, and went very well with our Tuna-less Chickpea Salad. 
Bursting with crunch and color, this was adapted from the Rouxbe recipe http://rouxbe.com/cooking-courses/pb3-professional-plant-based-certification/task/10354/activity/31705. I’m currently enrolled in Rouxbe’s plant-based cooking course, and this was an assignment of mine. I did make some changes and created the curried cashews to top it off. The curried cashews I made were being eaten out of their bowl before they could even make it into the salad*! This salad has a great crunch, and we had left overs that remained crunchy all week. You could make half of this recipe, or make the whole recipe and enjoy your leftovers all week long.
*Note: You may eat a bunch of these curried cashews before adding, be careful not to eat them all, they add a great crunch to the salad!
Serves 10-12 side servings
Ingredients:
- 2 cups quinoa
- 4 cups water (plus a pinch of salt to the water)
- 1-1 1/2 cup curried cashew nuts (recipe below), some roughly chopped and some kept whole (see how you like the texture, you just may eat a bunch of them before you add them, hence the 1-1/2 cups!)
- 1 bunch kale, about 6 cups chopped
- 1 cup celery, chopped
- 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
- 1/4-1/2 cup chopped banana pepper, depending on the heat of your pepper
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 2 lemons; 1 tbsp zest, plus 4-5 tbsp fresh juice (about 2 lemons)
- 1 firm apple, of your choice, about 1 cup chopped
- 2/3 cup golden raisins, soaked until plump, and then drained
- 1/2 tsp fresh black pepper
- 1/2-1 tsp kosher salt (to taste)
Curried Cashews:
- 2 cups raw cashews (could even get 3 cups out of the topping, just add a little extra lemon juice to help coat)
- 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 3/4 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 2 1/2 tsp garam masala (if you don’t have this, you can use a traditional curry powder)
- 1/8-1/4 tsp cayenne (We like them spicier so we lean towards 1/4 tsp. Start with 1/8 tsp and taste after mixing, you can add more but you can’t take away)
Instructions for Cashews: Roast cashews for 8-10 min at 400 degrees. Squueze lemon juice and pour on top of cashews. Mix remaining ingredients in a bowl and toss to coat cashews. Place back on cookie sheet and into oven for 2 minutes. Let cool and store.
Instructions:
- Soak quinoa for at least 4 hours, or overnight
- To cook quinoa: place 4 cups water and quinoa in a pot, bring to boil. Reduce heat and cook until water has been absorbed, about 15 minutes. Check for texture, making sure quinoa doesn’t over cook and get mushy. If consistency tastes right, drain any remaining water if needed. Quinoa can be made several days in advance.
- Saute kale in a few tablespoons of water, until wilted. *Note: if you aren’t planning on serving this salad right away, save this step until right before serving to keep green color vibrant.
- Remove 1 cup of cooked quinoa (or use all of it for a larger serving) and set aside for a later use in the week (makes a great breakfast or as part of a smoothie). Place remaining cooked quinoa in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients, except cashews, folding in cooked kale.
- This salad can be made ahead of time. If desiring bright green kale, save this step for right before serving. Cashews are best stirred in right before serving to save their crunch. We chopped most and kept some whole for better texture. Add some or all of the curried cashews, up to you!
- Serve on it’s own, as a side dish, or atop grilled portobello mushrooms.
Also awesome when served with our Tuna-less Chick Pea Salad for a healthy brunch!
Nutritional Benefits:
- High in plant-based protein-10 g/serving! Great for healing and repairing tissues
- High in fiber: 5.4 g/serving; helps to lower cholesterol, regulate blood sugar, improve digestive health, and increase satiety
- Good source of calcium: great for bone and dental health
- Packed with anti-inflammatories and antioxidants! 107% Vitamin A, 95% Vitamin C. Vitamin A important for skin, bone, lung, and dental health as well as helping to prevent many forms of cancer, Vitamin C boosts immune function
- 19% iron, helps oxygen to bind to red blood cells and improves function of circulatory system
- High in potassium, 442 mg, important for proper kidney and nervous system function, helps to regulate blood pressure
- 2 cups quinoa
- 4 cups water (plus a pinch of salt to water)
- 1½ cup curried cashew nuts (recipe below), some roughly chopped and some kept whole
- 1 bunch kale, about 6 cups chopped
- 1 cup celery, chopped
- ½ cup finely chopped red onion
- ½ cup chopped banana pepper
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 2 lemons; 1 tbsp zest, plus 4-5 tbsp fresh juice (about 2 lemons)
- 1 firm apple, of your choice, about 1 cup chopped
- ⅔ cup golden raisins, soaked until plump, and then drained
- ½ tsp fresh black pepper (or more to taste)
- ½-1 tsp kosher salt (to taste)
- 2 cups raw cashews (could even get 3 cups out of the topping, just add a little extra lemon juice to help coat)
- 1½ tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ¾ tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp cumin
- 2½ tsp garam masala (if you don't have this, you can use a traditional curry powder)
- ⅛-1/4 tsp cayenne (we like them spicier, so we lean towards ¼, can add more after you coat, so go lighter to start)
- Soak quinoa for at least 4 hours, or overnight
- To cook quinoa: place 4 cups water and quinoa in a pot, bring to boil. Reduce heat and cook until water has been absorbed, about 15-20 minutes. Check for texture, making sure quinoa doesn't over cook and get mushy. If consistency tastes right, drain any remaining water if needed. Quinoa can be made several days in advance.
- Saute kale in a few tablespoons of water, until wilted. *Note: if you aren't planning on serving this salad right away, save this step until right before serving to keep green color vibrant.
- Set aside 1 cup of cooked quinoa (or use all of it for a larger serving) for later use in the week (great for breakfast). Place cooked quinoa in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients, except cashews, folding in cooked kale.
- This can be made ahead of time. If desiring a bright green kale, save kale for right before serving. Cashews are best stirred in right before serving to preserve their crunch. Add some or all of the curried cashews, up to you!
- Serve on it's own, as a side dish, or atop grilled portobello mushrooms.
