Kale and Quinoa Salad with Apples and Goat Cheese

Name: Kale and Quinoa Salad with Apples and Goat Cheese
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: ⅓ cup Champagne Vinegar; ½ cup Olive Oil; 1 tsp Shallot, minced; 1 tsp Garlic, minced; 1 tsp Dijon Mustard; 1 tsp Lemon Juice; 2 tsp Honey; ½ tsp Salt; ¼ tsp Pepper; 6 cups Kale, stems removed, thinly chopped; 1 cup Quinoa, cooked and cooled; 1 Apple, gala, matchstick cut; 1 Shallot, medium, thinly sliced rounds; ½ cup Candied Pecans; ¼ cup Dried Cranberries; 2 oz Goat Cheese, or more if desired

Are you on the kale kick? I admit I take breaks. But this salad is always met with open arms. It’s the perfect blend of hearty kale and sweet ingredients so you don’t feel like you’re munching on your lawn. A trick to softening the kale is to make the champagne vinaigrette and mix about 1/4 cup into the kale and let it sit while you cook the quinoa (about 15 min. to cook and 15 min. to cool). During this time you can also cut up the apple, shallot, and gather the other ingredients.

Feel free to swap out the candied pecans with another nut you love. Candied walnuts would work nicely. When adding the goat cheese, you have two options. If you’re serving this buffet style in a large bowl, gently fold in the goat cheese. If you’re portioning this out for a dinner party, you can top each portion with the goat cheese so it’s more evenly distributed. Enjoy!

Kale and Quinoa Salad with Apples and Goat Cheese

Servings: 4

AuthorSunshine UrbaniakCategorySidesTotal Time45 mins

INGREDIENTS

Champagne Vinaigrette

⅓ cup Champagne Vinegar

½ cup Olive Oil

1 tsp Shallot, minced

1 tsp Garlic, minced

1 tsp Dijon Mustard

1 tsp Lemon Juice

2 tsp Honey

½ tsp Salt

¼ tsp Pepper

Salad

6 cups Kale, stems removed, thinly chopped

1 cup Quinoa, cooked and cooled

1 Apple, gala, matchstick cut

1 Shallot, medium, thinly sliced rounds

½ cup Candied Pecans

¼ cup Dried Cranberries

2 oz Goat Cheese, or more if desired

DIRECTIONS

Make the dressing: Place all the ingredients into a shaker and mix well. Place the kale in a large bowl and top with about 1/4 cup of the dressing, mixing it in well. Set aside while you prepare the salad ingredients.

Top the kale with the apples, quinoa, candied pecans, dried cranberries, shallot, and rest of the dressing. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Mix well to coat all the ingredients. You have two options with the goat cheese. You can either gently fold it into the salad, or divide the salad among plates and top each portion with the goat cheese.

Kale and Quinoa Salad with Apples and Goat Cheese

Ingredients

Champagne Vinaigrette

⅓ cup Champagne Vinegar

½ cup Olive Oil

1 tsp Shallot, minced

1 tsp Garlic, minced

1 tsp Dijon Mustard

1 tsp Lemon Juice

2 tsp Honey

½ tsp Salt

¼ tsp Pepper

Salad

6 cups Kale, stems removed, thinly chopped

1 cup Quinoa, cooked and cooled

1 Apple, gala, matchstick cut

1 Shallot, medium, thinly sliced rounds

½ cup Candied Pecans

¼ cup Dried Cranberries

2 oz Goat Cheese, or more if desired

Directions

Kale and Quinoa Salad with Apples and Goat Cheese

Ingredients Directions

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