Kale Quinoa Salad

• 1 cup dry quinoa
• 2 cups water
• 2 large leaves of kale
• 1/3 cup shelled pistachios, roughly chopped
• 1/3 cup dried cherries
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
• zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• freshly cracked pepper
• salt

1. Start by cooking your quinoa. Put the quinoa, water, and a pinch of salt in a medium saucepan, bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat. The quinoa will be ready in about 10-15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, de-stem and finely chop the kale (using 2 leaves, I ended up with around 2 cups). Place in a large serving bowl. Add the pistachios, cherries, and garlic.
3. When the quinoa is cooked, add it to the kale mix. Toss with the olive oil, and the lemon zest and juice. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

I was pretty happy with this dish because Mike ate it, and it involved raw kale. It’s also quick and easy to make.

You could add a bit more crunch and deepen the flavor of the pistachios by toasting them before mixing them into the salad. You could also play around with the nut and berry combination to suit your tastes and what’s in your pantry. The first time around I used goji berries. I debated about using dried cranberries this go round, but ended up using the cherries. Perhaps the cranberries next time.