Baked Kale Salad with Crispy Quinoa
Crisping the quinoa in the oven adds delicious texture to this bright and filling kale salad. The lemon-honey-garlic dressing complements the sweetness from the roasted vegetables. Topping the salad with feta and pepitas gives it a savory note.
Active Time: 25 mins
Total Time: 35 mins
Servings: 4
Diabetes-Appropriate Nut-Free Soy-Free High-Fiber Vegetarian Egg-Free Gluten-Free Low-Calorie
INGREDIENTS:
2 ⅔ cups water
1 ⅓ cups quinoa
Cooking spray
4 cups sliced red or green cabbage
1 large fennel bulb, trimmed and cut into thin wedges, fronds reserved and chopped for garnish
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
¾ teaspoon salt, divided
8 cups coarsely chopped kale
½ teaspoon ground pepper, divided
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey
1 medium clove garlic, finely grated
¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
¼ cup toasted pepitas
INGREDIENTS:
Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan. Stir in quinoa; reduce heat to maintain a simmer, cover and cook until the quinoa is tender and the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a large rimmed baking sheet, spreading it out as much as possible. Lightly coat with cooking spray.
Meanwhile, position racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 400°F.
Bake the quinoa on the lower rack for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, stir and coat again with cooking spray. Bake until lightly browned and crisp, about 15 minutes more. Remove from the oven and toss again.
Meanwhile, toss cabbage, fennel, 1 tablespoon oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Transfer to a second large rimmed baking sheet and roast on the top rack for 15 minutes. Toss kale, 1 tablespoon oil and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper in the large bowl. After the cabbage mixture has roasted for 15 minutes, add the kale to the pan, carefully stirring it into the rest of the vegetables. Continue roasting until the vegetables are tender, 5 to 7 minutes more.
Meanwhile, whisk the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, honey, garlic and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper together in the large bowl. Add the roasted vegetables and quinoa and toss to coat. Sprinkle with feta and pepitas. Garnish with the reserved fennel fronds, if desired. Serve warm.
Nutritional Info:
Serving Size 2 1/4 cups
calories 454 total fat 23g saturated fat 5g cholesterol 8mg sodium 628mg total carbohydrate 51g dietary fiber 9g total sugars 9g added sugars 1g protein 15g vitamin c 75mg calcium 182mg iron 4mg potassium 856mg