Kale-Quinoa Salad with Dried Cherries

Feel free to add toasted walnuts, pecans or hazelnuts too!

Ingredients

Salad

  • 1 large head of kale (about 3 cups, torn?)
  • ½ cup quinoa
  • ½ red onion sliced
  • ¼ cup dried cherries

Dressing

  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon raw honey
  • ½ tablespoon smoked paprika (or regular paprika plus a pinch of chipotle powder)
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • zest of one lemon

Instructions

  1. Cook quinoa in ¾ cup water, and let cool.
  2. Make the dressing: combine dressing ingredients in liquid 2-cup measuring cup, and marinate onions for at least 30 minutes or up to a day ahead.
  3. Tear the kale into bite-sized pieces, making sure to remove the rib. Combine kale and quinoa, then sprinkle with the dried cherries. Add dressing and mix together thoroughly. Add lemon zest if desired. Note: I found the quantity of dressing to be too much for the salad, so I strained out the onions using a slotted spoon, and then added as much of the dressing as I felt the salad needed.