plat du jour 01 : a winter quinoa salad

January 4, 2013

 

quinoa-sweet-potato-kale-salad

There’s something about winter and comfort food that just go together, am I right? Since going gluten free, I’ve had to conjure up different ideas of comfort food (no dipping fresh baguette into a stew, no chicken noodle soup, no spaghetti and meatballs!) and since learning to re-love my veggies, nothing sounds better than a hearty salad of roasted vegetables and quinoa. So without further ado, here’s my inaugural Plat Du Jour.

Quinoa Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Kale, Dried Cranberries, & Red Onion

Serves 6

Ingredients:

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped

1/2 medium red onion, sliced

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper, to taste

3 cups kale

5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, divided

1 cup uncooked black quinoa

2 cups water

Pinch of salt

1/2 cup dried cranberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place sweet potatoes and red onion slices in a medium bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss together and then put them on a large baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, or until sweet potatoes are tender. Stir a few times while baking.

2. Drizzle kale with 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar. Season with salt and pepper and place on a baking sheet. When the sweet potatoes and onions have been in the oven for 15 minutes, put the kale in the oven. Bake for 15 minutes, or until kale is wilted and starting to get a little crispy.

3. While the vegetables are roasting, make the quinoa. Using a strainer, rinse the black quinoa under cold water. Add quinoa, water, and salt to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for 5 minutes. Turn the heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until water is absorbed. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork. Let cool quinoa cool to room temperature.

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[Image and recipe via Two Peas & Their Pod]

comments +

  1. Quinoa is one of my favorite “easy” meals for during the week, so I’m always looking for new ways to mix it up. This looks so yummy–I love sweet potatoes, so that’s an added bonus!

  2. Jenny says:

    You can always make spaghetti and meatballs just with spaghetti squash instead of pasta! One of my favorites!

  3. this look incredible! I’ll have to give it a try soon.

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