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Quinoa Kale Salad with Orange Curry Vinaigrette

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Yesterday, I had the pleasure of volunteering at the Tanaka Farms annual Spring into Health event.  I had such a wonderful time meeting so many people as they walked the farm and learned about leading a healthier lifestyle.

For the event, I prepared a Quinoa Kale Salad with an Orange Curry Vinaigrette.  I love this recipe because it shows how you can enjoy healthy nutrient rich foods like Kale and Quinoa and have it still taste amazing.

 If you want to learn more about the health benefits of quinoa, check out this great article from Health & Fitness Shop called  7 Health Benefits of Quinoa.

 It was so much fun seeing everyone enjoy the salad.  I especially liked watching the expressions of the little kids as they reluctantly took a bite, then a big smile.  It made my day!

I promised everyone that I would post a video of the recipe soon.  In the meantime, here is the recipe.  There may be a few adjustments to the ingredient amounts when I post the video, but this should get you going for now.

Tell me what you think!!!

If you are interested in seeing the video, then give me your email address and I can send you out an alert when I post it up on my YouTube channel.

 

 

Quinoa Kale Salad with Orange Curry Vinaigrette

Ingredients

Dressing:
1/2 C freshly squeezed orange juice
3 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 T white wine vinegar
1 T honey
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 T curry powder (or, to taste)
2 tsp garam masala (or, to taste)
1/2 tsp freshly grated ginger
pinch kosher salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil

Salad:
1 large bunch of Curley Kale, stemmed and cut into small bite size pieces
1 C cooked quinoa, cooked according to package directions and cooled
2 crisp, tart apples, peeled, cored and chopped into small pieces
2 medium carrots, peeled and grated
1/4 purple cabbage, thinly sliced (mandoline comes in handy!)
4 green onions, chopped
1/2 C purple raisins
1/2 C curry roasted pistachios (see recipe below)

Curry Roasted Pistachios:
1/2 C raw shelled pistachios (cashews and pepitas work great, too)
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp curry powder
pinch or kosher salt
 

Directions

Dressing:

Whisk together dressing ingredients and set aside.

Curry Roasted Pistachios:

Preheat oven to 300F.  In a small bowl, toss pistachios with evoo, curry powder and salt.  Spread out on a sheet pan and bake for 10 minutes.  Remove and set aside.

Salad:

Dress salad 20 minutes prior to eating.  In a large salad bowl, add salad ingredients and toss together with dressing.  Add roasted pistachios and toss again.

 
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Simple Salsa

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You can make this delicious salsa in a food processor or a blender. If you're using a mini-processor, just do half batches. This goes great with my Baked Tortilla Chips recipe.

 

Recipe Type: Snack

Cuisine: Mexican

Author: Bonnie Goodman

Prep time: 5 mins

Total time: 5 mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients

  • 1 can diced tomatoes (I always get Muir Glen Fire Roasted Tomatoes with Medium Green Chiles!)
  • 1/4 onion roughly chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
  • Handful cilantro, roughly chopped
  • Juice of 1 Lime
  • Squeeze of agave or honey (about 1t)
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Pinch cayenne (optional)

Instructions

  1. Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor.
  2. Pulse 5-6 times and check for desired chunkiness and taste.
  3. Adjust seasonings and serve!

 

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Garlicky Swiss Chard

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We received Swiss Chard in our Tanaka Farms CSA box today.  Coincidentally, I just posted a new video on preparing Garlicky Swiss Chard.  It's super easy to make and so healthy!  

 

Garlicky Swiss Chard

4 Servings

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 bunches chard
  • olive oil
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • salt and pepper
  • squeeze of lemon

Directions

  1. Saute swiss chard (remove stems and rough chop into 3" pieces) in a little bit of oil.
  2. Heat pan and put in chard. Cover to steam, 3 mins. 
  3. Add minced garlic, salt and black pepper. 
  4. Finish off with a squeeze of fresh lemon.
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Citrus Green Beans for the Holidays

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I wanted to share a green bean recipe that's great for the upcoming holidays.  I've been making it for a few years and it's always a big hit!  You can make it vegan style or not, but either way, it's delish!

Citrus Green Beans for the Holidays!

Recipe

Recipe Type: side dish, vegetable

Ingredients

  • 1 pound green beans
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • zest of 1 lime (or 1/2 orange)
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1/4C water or chicken broth
  • 1/2 tbsp Earth Balance or butter
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. Wash and drain beans. Trim off stem ends.
  2. Blanch beans in boiling salted water for about 3 minutes or until crisp tender.
  3. Stop the cooking process by removing beans to an ice bath.
  4. After a minute, drain and set aside.
  5. Over medium-high heat, saute zest and garlic.
  6. Just before the garlic begins to golden, add water, beans and Earth Balance.
  7. Toss until well combined and beans are tender.
  8. Season with salt and pepper.
  9. Serve!
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Easy Stovetop Rice Pilaf

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I LOVE RICE!  My favorite is what I grew up on, Japanese style short grain sticky rice.  These days, however, we eat mostly brown rice and once in awhile a light and fluffy pilaf.  You can make pilaf in your rice cooker but I prefer the stovetop.  I first sauté onions and garlic, then toss in the rice and stir until toasty.  Next, I add the broth or water and a generous pinch of salt. Bring it to a boil and then cover and simmer on low for 20 minutes.  That's it!  

Easy Stovetop Rice Pilaf
Recipe Type: Rice Side Dish
Author: Chef Bonnie
Pull back 1/4 cup on the broth, add 1/4 cup tomato sauce and 1 tsp of taco seasoning with your salt and you'll have Mexican rice!
Ingredients
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1/4 onion, small dice
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 cup basmati rice, rinsed and drained
  • 1 1/2 cups water or low sodium broth (vegetable, chicken or beef)
  • pinch of salt
Instructions
  1. Place saucepan over medium heat.
  2. After a minute, add oil and swirl.
  3. Add onions and sauté for 1 minute.
  4. Add garlic and stir for 20 seconds.
  5. Add rice and stir until it just starts to stick to the bottom.
  6. Add water or broth and a pinch of salt.
  7. Turn heat to high and bring it to a boil.
  8. When it begins to boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
  9. Remove from heat and let rest for 5 minutes.
  10. Fluff and adjust seasoning.
  11. Enjoy!