This salad recipe is both hearty and satisfying since quinoa is considered a complete protein. Founder of “drench” Karen Akouri said she loves this recipe for many reasons, including giving her “gut” a break, reducing her global footprint, saving animals, lowering her risk of chronic diseases and keeping her on the path of healthy eating. She pairs it with her Citrus Honey Vinaigrette Dressing & Marinade. For more Meatless Monday recipes, visit idrench.com or follow @drenchdressings on Instagram.
Ingredients
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1 pound curly kale or baby kale, washed, de-stemmed and chopped (can use pre-washed & chopped kale; no need to de-stem and chop if using baby kale!)
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3/4 to 1 cup sliced almonds or chopped hazelnuts
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1 cup fresh pomegranate seeds
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1 cup shaved parmesan cheese
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1/2 cup dry quinoa
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12 oz bottle of drench Citrus Honey Vinaigrette Dressing & Marinade (for a list of stores where drench is available, visit idrench.com!)
Directions
Prepare quinoa according to box directions; however, use one-to-one ratio. Add 1/2 cup quinoa and 1/2 cup water in a saucepan. Cover and cook quinoa on low heat for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool. (Quinoa increases in volume about three times when it's cooked, so you won’t use all of this in your salad!).
Sautée sliced almonds or hazelnuts on medium heat with about two teaspoons olive oil (just enough to lightly coat the pan). Toss continuously with spoon until lightly golden for a few minutes but watch carefully as nuts will burn easily. Then, remove from pan and let cool. (This brings out the aroma and flavor of the nuts!).
While quinoa and nuts are cooling, wash, de-stem and chop curly kale. Using food service gloves, toss greens with desired amount of "drench" Citrus Honey Vinaigrette. Incorporate 1/2 cup cooked quinoa, and then sprinkle with nuts, parmesan and pomegranate