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Quinoa – Kale – Sweet Potato Salad

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It’s been a while since I wrote something on the blog. It was the Holidays and wanted to be more present with my family and decided to be on the computer as little as possible. Since I work from home as a banking consultant and health & wellness coach, I couldn’t shut down completely but I did the best I could and had to give up blogging during the Holidays. Which is OK because I got some great quality time with the kids. even if it meant watching TV with them.

It was so cold during the Christmas break that we didn’t venture out much other than going to see family, going to the gym, and grocery shopping. It was absolutely fine as our lives can be so hectic with school, homework, and after school activities.   

Did you guys make any New Years resolutions???? I made one…to be more present in everything I do. Which means when I work, I actually work and not do chores here and there. When the kids are talking to me, to make sure that I am not distracted with something else. You get the point. It is for sure a resolution that I can keep.

Going back to Christmas Eve and Christmas, it can be difficult to split yourself in between two families. When we lived in Miami, we had our entire family living in the city. Well, almost everyone. My brother was and he is still in Montreal with his family. But luckily, on my side of the family, we celebrated Christmas Eve. It was a blessing because on my husband’s side, it is a fish fest on Christmas Eve; I don’t eat fish. And we would celebrate Christmas Day with my husband’s family. It was great.

As years passed, everyone moved away and we were left alone. But we continued our tradition to celebrate on Christmas Eve. It was the same when we lived in NC. However, this year was different as we moved to Boulder, CO. My little sister is in Denver and my brother-in-law and sister-in-law are in Boulder as well. It was also our first Christmas in Colorado and really wanted to celebrate both days with everyone. We don’t eat fish and the in-laws don’t eat meat. What to do??? Easy!! They brought their fish over and we had a blast. And we continued the celebration the following day at my brother-in-law’s house.

For Christmas Eve, we had Honey Baked Ham, fancy baked mac & cheese, roasted asparagus, and a Quinoa, Kale, and Sweet Potato salad. And lots of wine 

It was the first time I made the salad and I loved it. I made it again on Monday. You can see the original recipe here as I have modified it a little bit.

Quinoa - Kale - Sweet Potato Salad
Author: 
Recipe type: Salad
 
Ingredients
  • 2 medium-large sweet potatoes (1½ pounds, jewel), scrubbed, cut into 1″ chunks
  • 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or avocado oil, divided
  • pink Himalaya salt
  • 2 cups of chicken stock
  • 1 cup quinoa (preferably multi-colored)
  • 1 large bunch kale - I used two different types of kale to make the salad a bit more colorful
  • 1 tablespoon cumin seed
  • juice of 1-2 lemon (or more, to taste)
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • ⅔ cup dried cranberries
  • ⅔ cup of toasted pine nuts
Instructions
  1. Toast the cumin seed in a small skillet over a medium flame, shaking frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Let cool, then grind in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil, ¼ tsp of salt, and juice of 1 lemon and mix together. This is your vinaigrette.
  2. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400º.
  3. Toss the sweet potatoes in a large bowl with 2 tbsp of the oil and 1 tsp of salt. Spread evenly on a sheet pan and roast until soft and golden, about 40 minutes, flipping the potatoes once halfway through cooking. Remove and let cool completely.
  4. Meanwhile, place the quinoa in a medium sauce pan and soak in 2 cups of chicken stock for about 15 minutes before cooking. The quinoa doesn't have to be cooked in broth but it tastes so much better. Bring the quinoa to a simmer, then cover with a lid and reduce the heat to low to maintain a gentle simmer. Let the quinoa steam until the water is gone and the quinoa is tender (the red and black quinoa will retain more crunch than the white). Remove from the heat, leave the lid on and let steam 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Let cool completely.
  5. Meanwhile, remove the ribs from the kale with a sharp paring knife. Stack 3 or 4 leaves on top of one another, roll them up the long way, and slice crosswise very thinly. Repeat with the remaining kale leaves. Place the kale in a large bowl and massage the kale with the juice of one lemon. It will make the kale more tender, more flavorful, and makes the color more vibrant.
  6. Add the cooled sweet potato cubes and quinoa to the kale. Add the vinaigrette and gently toss.
  7. Then add the cranberries, Add the toasted pine nuts just before serving.
Notes
***Use organic ingredients whenever possible***

 

 

 

 

 

 

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