I have to admit, it wasn’t that long ago that I would have scrunched up my nose at the suggestion of eating kale. Quinoa sounds foreign and exotic and maybe hoping to absorb some of those characteristics, I embraced that no problem, but kale, poor kale, fell doomed to the category of dark leafy greens and I was pretty sure they were going to taste bitter. And be yucky. But seems like everywhere I turn now, I see recipes for quinoa and recipes for kale. Apparently someone along the line actually tricked me into liking kale (kale chips will do that) so it seemed like time to get these two powerhouse foods together. And since I’m craving fall flavors, I threw in some squash (plus it adds nice color not to mention some extra vitamins) and toasted walnuts for some nice crunch.
I view this as just a starting point and am already dreaming up new renditions.
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 cup broth or water
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- ½ medium red onion, sliced
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 1 cup hard squash (you choose your favorite), cubed in a ¾″ dice
- ½ cup white wine
- 1 cup kale leaves, washed and hard stems removed, coarsely torn
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- Salt & pepper to taste
- ½ cup walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
- In a saucepan, combine the quinoa and broth or water to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer until the water has been absorbed (approximately 20 minutes). Remove from heat and fluff with fork.
- Meanwhile heat the olive oil in a sauté pan over medium high heat. When hot, add onion and caramelize (approximately 10 minutes). When nice and golden, add garlic, squash and wine. Cover and cook until squash is fork tender. Uncover and add kale and lemon juice. Cook until liquid is evaporated and kale is wilted and bright green. Season to taste with salt & pepper. Add kale mixture and walnuts to quinoa and stir to mix.
Variations (disclaimer I have not tried these…yet!):
• Use orange juice instead of lemon juice
• Try any nut – cashews, pine nuts, pecans. Pepitas too.
• Stir in dried fruit – cranberries and golden raisins sound particularly good.
• Embrace other leafy greens! Spinach, chard!
Do you have a variation that you think sounds good? I’d love to hear it!
This recipe has clearly cemented my relationship with kale. Even I was surprised by how delicious it was, not to mention healthy and budget conscious. Pretty much a win-win-win!