lately...... i've been trying to healthy binge eat.
cleaning out my cupboards has been nice. in turn i have been cleaning out my closet.... and i'm going to stop hanging onto the hope that all the pants i used to wear will fit again next week. or maybe the next week.... well.... it's just time to move on.
despite the too small pants, i still want to eat things i like. but things that are healthy too.
granted there are the nights when i just can't stay away from taco tuesday at cafe rio.
but for the most part, i've been doing pretty dang good.
i'd like to share some of my successes with fellow college students
-------------> and anyone else that cares.
sometimes... we just don't know how to cook.
and everyone can use a little direction, right?
QUINOA KALE SALAD
ingredients and where to find them! (sometimes half the struggle is where to find ingredients.)
- 4 cups of cooked Quinoa. (1 cup uncooked) (found by the rice)
- 3 cups of Kale (found in the vegetables. Look around by the salad mixes as well as the other vegetables. sometimes if you want pure kale, it is hiding.)
- 3/4 cup Pine Nuts (i looked in the isle by the baking goods and the nuts but couldn't find them there. found the pine nuts over by the vegetable section where they have salad toppings etc.)
- 1/2 cup Fresh Mint (found by the herbs in the vegetable section)
- 1 cup Golden Raisins (I honestly don't remember where I found these. By the normal raisins????)
- 1/2 cup Fresh Parmesan (found over by the cheese section. I got the kind you have to grate because it's cheaper.)
- 1 red onion (found by the vegetables. try to pick a sweet one because the kale is pretty bitter!)
- Balsamic Vinegar
- Olive Oil
- Salt and Pepper
- (some shredded chicken and cherry tomatoes are optional but i think would make great additions.)
STEP 1: cook your quinoa.
Remember that quinoa has a 1 to 4 ratio. So if you need 4 cups of cooked quinoa, then you need to COOK 1 CUP.
The second thing is remember your water ratio. For every cup of uncooked quinoa, double the amount, and that's how much water you need.
FOR OUR DISH. Pour 1 cup of uncooked quinoa and 2 cups of water into a pot and bring it to a boil.
ONCE BOILING turn it to low, put the lid on (or in my case a plate since i couldn't find a lid) and let it simmer for 15 mins. stir it a few times during the process.
-------------While your quinoa is cooking you can prep the rest of the ingredients.
STEP 2: massage your kale.
Please wash your hands before doing this...
Dump your 3 cups of kale into a big bowel. Splash about 2 tbs of oil and 2 tbs of balsamic vinegar into the bowl as well. THEN massage the kale so that it becomes tender and wilty. this will take away some of the bitterness and make it easier to eat.
It should look sort-of like this................
STEP 3: mint me.
I LOVE THE SMELL OF MINT. I'm going to start putting it in everything.
measure out about 1/2 cup of mint. then rip it into tiny pieces and toss it in the bowl with the kale.
Ripping up the mint will help release the flavor!!!! MMMMMM
STEP 4: onion tears.
cut your onion in half and chop it up into little pieces. TOSS IN THE BOWL
*please don't forget about your quinoa. it should be about done by now! once the 15 mins are up, take off the lid, and fluff it with a fork. let it cool off for a few minutes!
STEP 5: accessorize
here's where the good stuff comes in. add your pine nuts and your golden raisins.
let me tell you... the golden raisins are the golden child of this salad. the burst of sweet against all the bitter is AMAZING.... I CAN'T GET ENOUGH.
STEP 6: finishing touches.
now you want to add in your quinoa! pour it in the bowl, add some salt and pepper, and toss everything together. I used a spatula. just make sure that you get all the goodness at the bottom of the bowl evenly distributed!
last but not least add in that cheese. sprinkle on top for a beautiful and healthy meal!
a couple of afterthoughts.
1. This salad is great on its own! But I think next time I might make a few additions.
I think some little cherry tomatoes would be great in this salad. There are a lot of bitter flavors and I have quite the sweet palatte.... so adding some tomatoes sounds like a great idea for next time.
2. I also think this meal would be great with some shredded chicken! get some protein in there! That is a great thing about this salad though... it's very adaptable!
3. I'm definitely getting some good mileage out of this salad. I would say this can feed me 3 times. You can always double this recipe so that you can eat it for even more meals. It will stay good for over a week and the flavors will just keep getting better.
Thank you for tuning into this weeks episode of college cuisine!
Please leave a comment and let me know what you think and if you give it a try!
Love, The Starving Artist.
