Vegan MoFo VIII, Day 8: Red and White Quinoa Kale Salad
Red, and White Quinoa Kale Salad from Going Vegan (page 111), photo by Celine Steen
Today's recipe comes from my newest release, Going Vegan: The Complete Guide to Making a Healthy Transition to a Plant-Based Lifestyle
, featuring photos by Celine Stten, and written along with my friend, nutrition expert and food scientist, Gerrie Lynn Adams. Gerrie is "one of those" vegans. One who cooks without added sugar, oil, or salt. Since you know me, you know that is certainly not my way of cooking...or eating. But, Gerrie knows what she's talking about! As a food scientist and nutritionist, Gerrie has taught me so much about how one can cure what ails them through the food choices that they make. And I was honored to be able to teach Gerrie about some of the horrors of factory farming, animal rights, and the effects animal agriculture has on our environment. And that is exactly the point of this book.
There is a gap that needs to bridged in the vegan community. The gap between those vegans who eat plant-based for their health, and those of us who are ethical vegans. I am pretty sure you all have heard me say this before, but, guess what? Neither of us are killing, torturing, or exploiting another living being to make a tasty meal. And isn't that really the point?
So, ethical vegans, as much as we want to roll our eyes every time someone leaves a comment on our blogs or our instagram pics that our recipes are unhealthy because they have too much oil, or too much salt, or too much... instead, let us share in the joy of knowing that regardless of our weight, size, or how fast we can run a mile, that none of us are killing animals for food.
And for those of you who do eat plant-based for your health, I invite you to try to be less judgemental of those of us who do this because we care about the animals more than we care about the size of our waistlines. And maybe take a minute to click on that "Why Vegan?" tab up there on the right.
Red and White Quinoa Kale Salad
* No added oil
* No added salt
* No added sugar
The tahini in the dressing for this salad gives it a nice rich flavor, while the raisins add an unexpected sweetness. This salad tastes great warm or cold, which makes it the perfect dish to bring to potlucks or pack for lunches.
1 cup (168 g) white quinoa, uncooked
1/2 cup (84 g) red quinoa, uncooked
3 cups (705 ml) water or lowsodium vegetable broth
8 ounces (227 g) chopped curly or lacinto kale
1/2 cup (45 g) sliced or slivered almonds (toasted or raw)
1/2 cup (80 g) raisins 1/2 cup (128 g) tahini (See “Veggie Bites” below)
2 tablespoons (30 ml) soy sauce, tamari, or Bragg Liquid Aminos
2 tablespoons (30 ml) lemon juice
1 tablespoon (10 g) minced garlic
In a fine mesh strainer, rinse quinoa. Strain out as much excess water as possible. (If you buy prewashed quinoa, you can omit this step.)
Place quinoa in a dry pot with a lid, and heat over medium heat to lightly toast the quinoa, stirring constantly to prevent burning, about 4 to 5 minutes.
Add water or vegetable broth, raise the heat and bring to boil. Immediately lower heat to low, cover, and cook 15 minutes.
Remove from heat and allow to stand, covered, 5 minutes. Uncover and fluff with a fork.
While quinoa is cooking, blanch kale.
Bring a pot of water to boil, drop in kale, give it a quick stir and then quickly remove it and place into an ice water bath to stop the cooking.
Once quinoa is cooked, place it in a mixing bowl, along with kale, almonds, and raisins.
In a small bowl, whisk together tahini, soy sauce, lemon juice, and garlic.
Toss the dressing with the salad to coat.
Serve immediately or refrigerate.
Veggie Bites
Tahinis vary in texture and thickness, from very liquidy to very thick. The measure in this recipe assumes that you’re using a more liquid tahini. If yours is very thick, you may need to thin it out with water or vegetable broth to reach the consistency of a pourable milkshake. If you have a rice cooker, use it to prepare the quinoa. Use a 2-to-1 ratio of liquid to quinoa and follow the instructions on your rice cooker.
Yield: 8 side dish servings
