Kale And Quinoa Salad
sandravalvassori.com
Servings: 4 to 6
Ingredients
For The Vinaigrette
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 garlic clove, grated or finely minced
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For The Salad
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed and drained
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 bunch curly kale, washed and chopped with the stems removed
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 cups shredded cooked chicken (see notes)
- 2 large carrots, peeled and shredded (see notes)
- 1 (8-ounce) block halloumi
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 6 dates, chopped (I like Medjool dates)
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro or parsley or a mix (optional)
- 1 cup toasted almonds, chopped
Instructions
- Make the dressing: In a small bowl or jar, In another bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, honey, garlic, salt and pepper. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan, combine the quinoa with 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil then reduce to low heat, cover, and cook for 15 minutes until water is absorbed. Remove from heat (without lifting lid!) and let sit, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff quinoa with a fork and let cool before using. TIP: To cool quinoa faster, transfer to a parchment-lined sheet pan and use a spatula to spread it out into an even layer. Let it dry and cool for about 10 minutes.
- Place the chopped kale in a large bowl. Sprinkle a 1/2 teaspoon of salt over the kale and use your hands to squeeze and massage the leaves just until they start to soften. This should only take about a minute or two! Massaging the kale will help break up the tough fibers, making it softer and more pleasing to eat. TIP: If you bought pre-packaged chopped kale, it likely won't need to be massaged for as long in order to soften.
- Add the shredded chicken to the kale bowl.
- Cut the halloumi into 1” cubes and pat dry using a kitchen towel or paper towels. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet (preferably non-stick or cast iron) over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the halloumi pieces and cook for about 30-40 seconds per side until golden-browned. (You’ll want to be fairly attentive, flipping fairly quickly, as you want to make sure the cubes toast without burning or melting.) Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
- To the kale and chicken bowl, add the cooked quinoa, shredded carrots, halloumi cheese, dates, fresh herbs, if using, and your desired amount of dressing. TIP: If I'm serving the entire salad for dinner, I add almost all of the dressing. For meal prep, it is best to dress the salad lightly, then add more as needed.
- Toss everything well, then taste and a little more seasoning and/or dressing, if needed. Serve the salad on plates or shallow bowls and top with chopped almonds.
Notes
Chicken: Here you can use a rotisserie chicken or any pre-cooked roasted chicken. If using a rotisserie chicken, remove the skin from the two breasts, then finely shred the meat. If you'd like to add some dark meat, do the same with the legs.
Store: The dressed kale and quinoa salad can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for 4 days. The salad will soften a little after it sits in the fridge but I find it's just as good.