Kale Quinoa Salad with Winter Fruit

So it’s January- and in so many households that means a renewed passion for healthy eating, a few extra hours on the treadmill, and a very lovely list of New Year’s resolutions that are decorated with washi tape. And while I’m not biggest fan of resolutions (read why in this post) I am a big fan of eating food that is good for you and that tastes great at the same time. So, add that with my need to meal prep for this very busy 2018, and you get one of my favorite new salads that I’ve already made twice in two weeks- this Kale Quinoa Salad with Winter Fruit.

This salad started out with a ‘chuck everything in the fridge in a bowl’ mentality, but as I was cooking the quinoa I realized, one- I wanted a salad with balanced tastes, and two I wanted a salad that would look great in a mason jar- you’ve seen my Instagram, food aesthetics are a thing! (Mostly joking here!) So without further ado- this super easy winter salad that is both hearty and heart healthy!   Kale Quinoa Salad Ingredients

For the Salad

4 Cups (or more!) Kale
1.5 Cups Fresh Cranberries
1.5 Cups Water
1 Cup Dry Quinoa
1/2 Cup Walnuts
1/2 Cup Pomegranate Arils
1/4 Cup Pepitas
2 Tbs Fresh Sage

For the Dressing

The Juice of Half an Orange
1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Kale Quinoa Salad Instructions

1 Add quinoa, one and a half cups of water, and the fresh cranberries into a rice cooker or sauce pan to cook. I love my rice cooker (which is definitely not just for rice!) because you don’t have to pay attention to the quinoa as it cooks so I can prep everything else! This should yield about four cups of cooked quinoa/cranberry mixture. As the mixture cooks the cranberries will pop and both flavor the grain and dye it pink!

2 While the quinoa is cooking, shred your kale, chiffonade (strips) your sage, and roughly chop your walnuts. (Quick tip: use a pair of herb scissors to chiffonade quickly!)

3 While still warm, combine quinoa and the salad ingredients into a large bowl and mix well. The warmth of the quinoa will help break down the kale and make it less woody than raw kale!

4 For the dressing whisk your orange juice and olive oil together and drizzle over your salad, once again, mix well to coat!

5 Serve as you wish! You can serve this warm, or it is also delicious right out of the fridge! I like to portion mine out as the grain in my meal prep- lots of energy without the blandness of a plain grain!   This Kale Quinoa Salad is super quick and incredibly easy to whip together, and with fresh winter fruits like pomegranates and cranberries you get sweetness without the price of out-of-season produce! What is your favorite way to prep quinoa for your meal prep? I’d love to know in the comments below!