I call it my Super salad because it has a trilogy of super foods in it – kale, avocado and quinoa.
Kale, seems to be my best friend these days. It is many a girls best friend. It’s a Super green after all, packed with super nutrition and vitamins, and to say the least, it is super versatile. I now add it to my daals which I make at home. Even to my palak paneer. Eat your greens, an age old adage, in every household. In this salad I have used a mix of green curly kale as well as Tuscan kale. Tuscan or lacinato kale, has a wonderful mild flavor. It has a bluish green color and is nicknamed dinasaur kale, because of its rough and bumpy texture.
An early start to a Sunday morning, with a visit to our local farmers market, brings me home with some super foods. It is a monthly ritual, though I wish I could go weekly, to be surrounded, overwhelmed with the plethora of organic greens and vegetables from our local California farms. Delightful it may sound, but awfully taxing to wake up on a really cold and chilly wintry Sunday morning, that one day to sleep in late! Anyways, a visit nonetheless, to stock up my fridge and sample some organic delicious seasonal fruit, sickeningly sweet at times 🙂
Back to my salad, which is very simple and earthy. Why earthy? Because it has another superfood, the Super grain quinoa. By now the whole planet knows about the remarkable benefits of consuming this ubiquitous super grain. Need I say more.
Lastly, one of my favorites, the humble avocado, a Super fruit, nonetheless. It’s fatty, but supposedly fat which is good for your cholesterol, the kind known as monounsaturated fat. Yup, say that word 10 times to win any tongue-twister game!
All tossed together in a simple vinaigrette, and served just about warm.
Servings 2-4
Ingredients :
A mix of Tuscan kale and curly kale, roughly chopped
1/2 cup finely sliced red onions
1 avocado, peeled, with pit removed and diced. This should be done just before serving the salad
1/2 cup quinoa. Can use either red or white or both, whichever available
Olive oil
For the vinaigrette:
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp maple syrup or honey
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
Whisk all ingredients for vinaigrette and keep aside.
Wash the quinoa. Bring one cup of water to a boil. Add the quinoa, cover and simmer on low heat for 12-15 minutes, till the water is absorbed. Fluff the grains with a fork.
In a large pan or wok, heat a little olive oil. Lightly toss the kale for a couple of minutes. Do not overlook. Should still have a crunch.
In a large salad bowl, toss together the kale and quinoa. Add the onions and avocado. Add the vinaigrette, season with salt and pepper and toss well. Serve immediately.
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