Kale and quinoa? You might think this dish is too healthy to taste any good, but you’d be wrong. If you’re trying to eat, this is a good start. But even if you’re not, this is a great dinner! It’s quick to cook up, dirties exactly one pot and the serving bowl, you can make it ahead of time and it’s tasty, too! What more can you ask for in a meal?The first time I made this, I used red swiss chard, which resulted in the prettiest pink dinner. The next time, I used kale, like the original recipe calls for. I prefer the taste of kale, but the look of the chard. Oh, and if you can’t find a meyer lemon, a regular one works just fine, too. I used olive oil instead of the toasted walnut oil in the recipe; if you have it use it, but I didn’t want to go out and buy it.
I served this at book club, and even my goat cheese-hating friend liked it! I didn’t tell her what was making it so creamy until after, but really she just likes goat cheese and doesn’t know it.
Kale and Quinoa Pilaf from Food52
Ingredients:
- 2 cups salted water
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 bunch lacinato kale, washed and chopped into 1″ lengths
- 1 meyer lemon, zested and juiced
- 2 scallions, minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
- 1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
- salt and pepper
Directions:
- In a pot, bring the water to a boil. Add the quinoa, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Put the kale in the pot on top of the quinoa and re-cover. Simmer another 5 minutes, then turn off the heat and allow to steam for 5 more minutes.
- Meanwhile, take a large serving bowl and combine the lemon zest, half of the lemon juice (reserving the other half), scallions, oil, pine nuts and goat cheese.
- When the quinoa and kale are done, fluff it and tip it into the waiting bowl with the remaining ingredients. Toss to combine, season with salt and pepper and the remaining lemon juice if needed.
