Cozy Autumn Kale Salad
To some extent, there’s nothing new under the sun when it comes to cooking (and about everything else). I can’t begin to fathom the amount and variety of kale salads that have poured forth from the blogosphere in the last three years. And yet, until now, I didn't have my own kale salad.
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried quinoa
- 2 bunches lacinato kale destemmed and chopped into 1-2 in pieces
- 2 cups fresh ripe figs, quartered vertically
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- 1 cup roasted hazelnuts
- 4 ounces goat cheese
- 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoon maple syrup
- 1 clove garlic roughly chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Instructions
Quinoa
- Rinse in a fine-meshed strainer under cold water until water runs clear (approximately 1 minute).
- Drain and transfer to a medium-sized (2 quart) pot. Add two cups cold water and ½ teaspoon salt and bring to a boil.
- Reduce to simmer and turn down to medium-low heat. Cover and simmer until water is absorbed, approximately 18 minutes (check quickly at 15).
- Remove from heat and allow to sit, covered, for another 5 minutes. Remove cover and fluff with a fork. Keep refrigerated until use.
Kale
- Preheat oven to 350 and grab 2-3 large baking sheets.
- Rinse kale and de-stem by pulling the leaves off in pieces. The pieces can be rough in shape, approximately 3-5 minutes.
- Toss kale onto baking sheets and bake in the oven for 5-7 minutes or until kale is soft and wilted but not brown. I had do two rounds of baking kale because I didn't have enough space in the oven.
- Remove kale from baking sheets and place on a cutting board to cool for a few minutes.
- Once cooled, bunch kale together and slice into ¼ inch thick slices.
Vinaigrette and Assembly
- Combine balsamic through ground ginger in a blender and puree until smooth and emulsified.
- In a large bowl, combine kale, quinoa, ¾ cup hazelnuts and all of the figs. Add ½ cup vinaigrette and gently toss to coat so you don't break the figs and blueberries. Top with crumbled goat cheese.
- Cover and refrigerate overnight. Before serving, toss with remaining hazelnuts and vinaigrette.
