Kale, Blood Orange, Beetroot & Quinoa Salad

Hello February! I’m glad to see the end of January, not that it was terrible or anything, it’s just that it means we are getting a bit closer to Spring. And with that in mind I have a very bright and colourful salad for you today. Made with massaged kale, roasted beetroot, blood oranges and a little goat’s cheese this quinoa salad is not only good to look at it tastes great too!

Blood oranges are in season at the moment and are great not just for juices and of course to eat on their own but they are a fab addition to your winter salads. For me, I love the contrast of sweet and bitter, and this quinoa salad has lots of that, with the earthiness of the beets and the saltiness of the goat’s cheese, the sweetness and juiciness of the oranges sets the whole thing off.

This quinoa salad comes with a lemon & wholegrain mustard dressing, but any citrus dressing would work. The goat’s cheese is optional, so if you want to make this dish vegan ditch the cheese and it will still taste great. The kale is massaged as it makes it easier to digest, however steamed kale would work well here too. I used a mixed grain quinoa, but plain quinoa is good too, use whatever you have in your cupboard 😉

This recipe is:

• High in vitamin A 
• High in vitamin C  
• High in protein
• High in fiber
• Low in cholesterol 

Kale, Blood Orange, Beetroot & Quinoa Salad

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Course: Salad

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Servings: 4

Author: Michelle Aslton

Ingredients

• For the massaged kale:
• 100 g Kale (I used cavolo nero black kale) washed and chopped
• Juice of 1/2 a lemon
• A scant 1/4 tsp sea salt + a pinch
• For the salad:
• 250 g beetroot , topped, tailed & scrubbed
• 2 tsp olive oil
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 100 g mixed quinoa (or plain quinoa)
• 2 medium blood oranges
• 100 g goat's cheese (optional)
• For the dressing:
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1 tsp wholegrain mustard
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 5 tbs extra virgin olive oil
• Pinch of sea salt
• A little freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

• Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees C.
• Make the dressing - add the lemon juice, mustard, acv, sea salt and black pepper to a small bowl, whisk together. Whisk in a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil one at a time until it is well combined. Refrigerate until you are ready to use it.
• Prepare the kale - In a large mixing bowl, add the kale, lemon juice and sea salt, massage the lemon juice and salt into the kale for about 5 minutes and leave the kale to sit for about 30 minutes, turning it occasionally. Drain off any excess liquid.
• Cut the beetroot into quarters, place on a baking tray, add the olive oil, a pinch of sea salt and a little black pepper. Roast in the oven for about 15 - 20 minutes or until the beets are tender. (I use a fan assisted electric oven)
• Cook the quinoa. Leave to cool a little.
• When the quinoa has cooled a little add it to the kale and mix gently.
• With a sharp knife remove the skin from the oranges and cut into slices.
• Transfer the kale and quinoa to a serving dish, add the roasted beetroot, slices of blood orange and crumble over the goat's cheese if using. Serve with the citrus & mustard dressing.