Baked Kale Salad with Crispy Quinoa
When hot salad season starts (and yes, it's a thing) this Baked Kale Salad with Crispy Quinoa is the only one I want. All the vegetables are roasted in the oven, and the quinoa is toasted to a crispy perfection. It's the perfect balance of flavors and a great way to pack vegetables into your meal.
Equipment
- 2 large baking sheets
- 1 small pan or sauce pan
Ingredients
- 12 stalks lacinato kale
- 1 small head of green cabbage
- 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 small red onion
- 2 sage sprigs
- 1 rosemary sprig
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons chili oil of choice I like Calabrian chili oil, Brightland's chili oil or Momofuku chili crunch
- Olive oil as needed
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. Cook your quinoa per package instructions, or in a rice cooker with a 2:1 ratio of water to quinoa.
- Remove the core from the cabbage, then thinly slice the cabbage and kale. Spread them out evenly on separate baking sheets, one for cabbage, one for the kale.
- Drizzle both the kale and cabbage with avocado oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast the cabbage at 450°F for 20-23 minutes or until golden and slightly crisp. For the last 5-7 minutes of baking, add in the kale to bake. Remove both vegetables from the oven and turn the oven down to 375°F.
- Add the quinoa to a baking sheet and cover with chili oil. Season with salt to taste and toss. Roast this for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through until the qunioa is slightly golden and lightly crisp.
- While the quinoa is baking, make the agrodolce dressing. Thinly slice the red onion and place it in a bowl. Whisk together the honey and water. Put a pan or small pot on medium heat and add a small splash of oil. Add in the sage leaves and the rosemary sprig. Pour in the honey mixture (it should slightly fizz), and stir until it thickens, about 1 minute. Add a pinch of salt and the vinegar. Stir again and let the mixture simmer slightly for 1-2 minutes. Remove the sage and rosemary and pour this over the red onion. Stir to combine.
- Toss together the kale, cabbage and red onion agrodolce. Pile this generously into a bowl.
- When the quinoa is out of the oven, sprinkle it liberally on top of the salad and serve warm!