Good Morning! It is a marvelous monday indeed! Did you see my Exciting Announcement? Today I start my position as Community Manager for Runners Connect! Is it pathetic that I am actually excited about working. I have felt like a lazy slob the last few months, and it feels good to be able to put my mind to work without sacrificing my training…..other than the ongoing battle of trying not to eat constantly while at home all day!
As always, today is Meatless Monday, I really should start keeping track of how many we get to, I know Spoons recently reached 100 Thinking Out Loud Posts, maybe someday Confessions of a Mother Runner and I will get there!
Today I have a special post for you! My dear friend Tana (check out her blog HERE) tried out my Berry Kale Quinoa Salad recipe last week, and took some photos of it. That is why todays photos look 1 million times more professional than usual, because they were taken by one! Tana and I have been good friends for over 7 years, and even though we live on opposite sides of the country, we catch up a lot, especially now we are both at home. She loved the recipe, I loved the photos, and she gets to display them in her portfolio too! I would say thats a win all round! So this week you have a special treat, not only am I sharing photos from one talented professional (with a HUGE Instagram following, check her out HERE), but this recipe has also been approved by the person who encouraged me to blog in the first place! You can thank her for the birth of Fuel Your Future 🙂 I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did.
PLEASE Pin this picture if you like it, I would really appreciate it 🙂
As beautiful as those photos are, here is the finished product. Makes my mouth water even looking at it! I love that this salad brings winter and summer together, and it can be enjoyed hot or cold.
Berry Kale Quinoa Salad with Lemon Dressing Recipe adapted from this Kale Salad with Meyer Lemon Vinegarette
Serves 4 as a side dish, 3 as a main
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
4 cups kale, broken into bite size pieces
2 tbsp oil
½ cup quinoa (I used rainbow quinoa)
1 cup vegetable broth
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
3 tbsp lemon
3/4 tbsp honey
½ cup cherries (or ¼ cup dried cherries), pitted, and cut in half
1/3 cup blueberries
¼ cup fresh mozzarella, ripped into small pieces
¼ cup almonds
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Pour the 2 tbsp cup oil onto the kale on a baking tray. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and massage in well. The kale should be completely covered with oil (it will be a darker green wherever it is coated with oil).
Cook the kale in the oven for 10, turning after 5 minutes. The kale should be bright, and just starting to crisp. The majority of the kale should be soft. Remove from the oven, and set aside.
Cook the quinoa according to package directions in the vegetable broth.
Meanwhile, stir the lemon, honey, and apple cider together in a small bowl.
Once the quinoa has cooked, stir in the blueberries and cherries. Once, it has cooled slightly, add the kale, mozzarella and almonds. Pour the lemon dressing over the quinoa, and stir well to combine.
Can be served either hot or cold. The flavor is stronger the next day, but it is great as a warming meal when it is cold outside.
Nutritional Information
290 calories, 14g fat, 28mg sodium, 33g fiber, 9g sugar, 6mg cholesterol, 10g protein
What is it about minimalist photos that make them so interesting? What is your favorite dish that can be enjoyed hot or cold? How did your blog start?
If you enjoyed Tana’s photos, please Pin it! Thank you so much!
31 Comments.
Good luck today, Tina! Can’t wait to hear all about your first day of work. Great sounding recipe too btw. It’s always wonderful when you have a close friend to work together w/.
These photos really are incredible! Seriously amazing. And the recipe looks yummy as well!
Congratulations on the job!!! That is fantastic Tina. I’m also loving these photos and that salad. I just always want someone else to make it for me 🙂
This looks delicious! I love quinoa in a salads and I love lemon dressings 🙂
Good luck at your first day of work, can’t wait to hear more about it! I wish I could have my food photos look that good…I guess the iPhone doesn’t work as well as a real camera ha. The salad also sounds delicious.
Congrats congrats congrats on the new job! That is so exciting, and so well deserved. On the subject of food, yet again, a recipe with so many of my favorite things. I typically use water and lemon juice to steam kale but love this approach!
Good luck today! Such a good feeling when you are starting a job that you know you will like because you are passion about what it stands for!
ooh yummy I love making salads like this to eat all week. Your pictures look great. Any tips for me on that?
Yay!! Congrats on the job, Tina- how exciting!! And what gorgeous pictures- photography is not my gift either. Love the colors and flavor combo!
Oh this looks fabulous! I conveniently have all the ingredients to make this for dinner tonight! 🙂 Good luck on your first day of the new job and thank you for hosting the meatless Monday linkup!
Yum salad and gorgeous pics!
Looks so pretty and delicious of course…Love the versatility of quinoa…The possibilities are endless. Have a fabulous Monday!
I loooove kale, and this is no exception. Have a great first day Tina! You’re going to love it.
This looks so tasty! I just made a quinoa salad this weekend that had almond and dried cranberries.. sort of similar to this! And GOOD LUCK at your job!! I’m sure you will do amazing!
Congrats on the new job girlie!! And this salad looks divine!!
YUM! This recipe might happen this week. I needed some ideas of things to add to quinoa.
Congratulations on job! This quinoa looks amazing! I will definitely be trying it out.
wow tana! those photos are amazing! love the white and cleanness! and of course i love the recipe. Tina knows her stuff!
Great pictures Tina! This salad combines many of my food loves and I can’t wait to test it out. Good luck with the new job!!
Congrats on the job!!! And oh my goodness, this looks fantastic! I love the combo of berries, kale and quinoa!
Yum! This looks healthy and packed with delicious goodies!
This looks delicious!!! Pinning for sure, can’t wait to try it!
Awwr yay for working! I know what you mean about needing to feel productive and getting out of the house… I feel that way too sometimes since I work from home, and it’s especially bad since my “office” is about 5 feet from my kitchen 😉 This is why I probably spend way too much time over in Starbucks…
mmmm nutritious and delicious! I love adding the texture of quinoa to the crunchiness of kale.
Hope your first day on the new job is awesome – I know you will be great!!!
Love that your friend took such great pictures for you -I need to find someone to do the same for me (only it won’t be food very often).
Sounds fantastic! And your pics beat mine any day of the week!
Oh yum this looks delicious! I love slightly crispy kale in salads. And the pics look beautiful! Pinning (:
This sounds so good! I’ve never tried quinoa with fruit but I can see this being a great combination with the kale and the mozzarella. I’ve pinned it to my list of things to try 🙂
I love the idea of a meatless Monday? Would you have meatless everyday?
Remember to add it to your Besty List!
http://www.thebesty.com/fuelyourfuturewithtina
Yum!! This looks wonderful Tina!! I have really gotten quite addicted to kale…tonight we had a baby kale caesar with homemade garlic croutons…so good! And I have a another I make quite regularly…it’s always good to have a new one to add to the rotation! Thanks for sharing this great recipe with us at Foodie Fridays! Pinning!
YUM! I love quinoa and the inclusion of berries to the salad, DELISH! I have a #MeatlessMonday linky party that runs all month. I love the meatfree recipes and ideas I get from it. Thank you for linking up wih #FoodieFridays!