In an Irish Home

During the season of Lent many Christians give up meat on Friday. Our little family is no exception. Today’s meat-free meal is a quinoa and kale salad. The inspiration for this delicious salad comes from my new friend Perry, who lives in Utah and runs a blog called Ski Boots in the Kitchen. I met Perry not long ago and love visiting her blog about living high in the snow cap mountains of Park City {home of the Sundance Film Festival}.

Perry’s Black Bean, Kale and Quinoa Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette got me to thinking what an Irish version of the same salad would look like. Carrots and cabbage seemed an obvious addition so they went into the mix first. Perry’s recipe calls for pomegranate. but given we’re not big fans of pomegranate, I substituted that ingredient with cranberries and raisins, instead.

The result was a healthy, tasty, easy-to-make meal perfect for a meat-free Friday…or any other day of the year! I dare say my Irish version is as good as Perry’s Utah version…but I’ll let you be the judge. Try them both and let us know what you think.

Best wishes for your continued Lenten resolve!

Irish Quinoa and Kale Salad

Serves 10

Salad Ingredients

5oz/1 large bunch of kale, finely chopped with ribs and stems removed

5oz cherry tomatoes, cut in half

3 carrots, shredded

5oz shredded cabbage

1 can/425g black beans, cooked, drained and rinsed

2 cups/13oz cooked quinoa, cooled

½ cup/2oz dried cranberries

½ cup/2oz raisins

½ red onion, finely chopped

1 avocado, sliced

Vinaigrette Ingredients

5 tablespoons red wine vinegar

15-20 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and fresh-ground pepper

Directions 

1. Cook the quinoa according to the directions on the package or box it came in. Allow to cool completely. This step can be done a day ahead and the quinoa may be kept in the fridge, if desired.

2. Chop the kale and put in a large bowl along with the cherry tomatoes, carrots, cabbage, onion, black beans, quinoa, cranberries, raisins and red onion. Toss well.

3. In a separate bowl pour in the red wine vinegar and slowly whisk in the 15 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and taste. Continue to whisk more olive oil until the balance between the olive oil and red wine vinegar seems right. Season with more salt and pepper as desired.

4. Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and toss everything together, making sure to coat all ingredients with the dressing.

5. If put in an air-tight container, this salad will keep very well for up to three days.