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Greek Quinoa Salad

Greek Quinoa Salad | Gather & Dine

There was a time in my life when I didn’t like olives or feta, but now I love them both.  Ten years ago, I would have never wanted to eat a Greek salad, but now I think I could eat one everyday.  I try to keep this in mind when my kids turn their heads away from some of the meals I lovingly labor over for them.  When I think about how much my tastes have changed over the years, I have hope that theirs will too.

Along with feta and olives, this simple Greek Quinoa Salad has tomatoes, cucumbers, and red onion with a bright red wine and lemon vinaigrette dressing.  Use the ripest tomatoes possible for the best taste and texture.  If you make this salad ahead of time,  save some of the dressing and add it right before serving.

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Greek Quinoa Salad
 
Ingredients
  • For the Salad:
  • 1 cup quinoa
  • 2-3 ripe roma tomatoes, diced
  • ½ English cucumber, diced
  • ¼ cup red onion, small diced
  • ¼ cup kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
  • ⅓ cup feta cheese, crumbled

  • For the Dressing:
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon red wine veingar
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
For the Salad:
  1. In a medium pot, boil 6-8 cups of water over high heat. Rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer. When the water is boiling, slowly add the quinoa and boil uncovered for 11-14 minutes. After 10 minutes, start checking the quinoa for doneness. The quinoa is done when the "dot" in the middle of the quinoa starts to disappear and when some of the white filaments start to come off the seeds. Drain the quinoa over a fine mesh strainer and let cool.
  2. In a large bowl, use a wooden spoon to combine the quinoa with the rest of the ingredients. Add ¾ of the dressing and toss thoroughly. Season to taste with extra salt and pepper. Toss in the remaining dressing right before serving.
For the Dressing:
  1. In a small bowl, use a wire whisk to blend ingredients.
Notes
adapted from Alice Water's The Art of Simple Food

 

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Kale and Farro Salad

Kale and Farro Salad

This Kale and Farro Salad is my kids’ very favorite way of eating kale.  They like kale chips with just some olive oil and sea salt pretty well, but they eat it most happily when I prepare it like this.  This salad is such an interesting combination of slightly crunchy kale, chewy farro, and toasted almonds.  I think it makes a great light lunch or it can be a side dish in a more substantial dinner.  If there are leftovers, it tastes great at room temperature or you can rewarm it in the oven for a few minutes to add some crunch to the kale again.

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Kale and Farro Salad
Serves: 4 side dish portions
 
Ingredients
  • 5 cups lightly packed chopped lacinato kale, from 1 large bunch
  • 1 cup farro, uncooked
  • ½ cup sliced almonds
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
  • ¾ teaspoon sesame oil
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. In a small saucepan, toast the farro over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Turn the heat off and add 2 cups of salted boiling water to the farro. Turn the heat back on and return to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Farro should have a slightly chewy texture when done. Drain the excess water. Set farro aside in saucepan and cover to keep warm.
  3. Whisk together the tamari, olive oil, and sesame oil.
  4. Spread the kale on a large baking pan and pour ¾ of the tamari dressing over the kale. Use hands to massage the dressing into the kale.
  5. Bake kale at 350 for 5 minutes. Sprinkle almonds over the kale, give a quick stir, and bake for another 5-7 minutes, until almonds are toasted and kale is crispy.
  6. In a large bowl, combine the farro with the kale and almonds. Mix in the remaining dressing and serve warm.
Notes
adapted from Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Every Day

 

 

 

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Kale Salad with Red Cabbage, Carrots, and Pine Nuts


Kale Salad with Red Cabbage, Carrots, and Pine Nuts

Did you know that you can get tennis elbow without being a tennis player?  I certainly didn’t, but now I have it and I know all about it.  It has forced me to slow down and appreciate all that I use my arms and hands for.  How true it is that it’s easy to take things for granted until those things are taken away.  As I struggled to chop this kale, I felt so thankful for simple things like being able to use a knife to cut fresh vegetables.  Doing things slowly help me to appreciate simple things in life.

Olive oil and lemon juice make up the dressing for this salad.  It may not sound like much, but the lemon truly brightens up the kale and cuts through any bitterness.  It’s simple, but goes along so well with the kale, cabbage, and carrots.  The wonderful thing about kale salads is that they store well as leftovers, although sometimes it’s necessary to add some extra dressing and seasoning to the salad if it’s eaten the next day.

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Kale Salad with Red Cabbage, Carrots, and Pine Nuts
Serves: 4-6
 
Ingredients
  • For the salad:
  • 1 bunch kale
  • 1½ cups thinly chopped red cabbage
  • 1½ cups grated carrots (about 3 medium carrots)
  • ¼ cup pine nuts

  • For the dressing:
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • dash of pepper
Instructions
  1. Toast pine nuts in a single layer in a 350 oven for 2-3 minutes. Watch carefully because the pine nuts burn easily.
  2. Remove kale leaves from the tough stalks and roughly chop kale. Toss with the chopped cabbage and grated carrots.
  3. Whisk dressing ingredients together and pour over salad, tossing together until salad is evenly coated. Top with the toasted pine nuts. Allow salad to marinate in dressing for 15 minutes or so before serving.

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