This year we don’t have any big travel plans, which will give me the opportunity to focus more on recipe development and sharing these tasty recipes with you as well as write more about life in Belgium and places worth visiting close by our home (btw, is there anything specific you are interested in to know more about? Let me know in the comments!). And maybe I will also finally finish working on photos from Colombia, Firenze, and Malta last year so that I can also give you some holiday tips too! Btw, have you seen my latest post about Medellín, Colombia?
In the meantime, I share this recipe for one of my favorite quinoa salads. Kale, Quinoa & Sweet Potato Salad with Goat Cheese is a great complete salad that can be served also as a main dish. If you like to eat healthy and light meals, or if you just want to get rid of some winter kilos, give it a try! A good reason to consume quinoa is that it is rich in proteins and makes a nice alternative if you want to eat something else than rice, pasta or potatoes.
This Kale, Quinoa & Sweet Potato Salad with Goat Cheese is simple to make and the preparation time will not ruin your evening. Just don´t skip the time needed for the cooling of kale with the orange dressing as this softens the taste of raw kale. If you are not a big fan of goat cheese, you can try feta instead, although it will be a bit saltier, so beware once you prepare the dressing.
Here you have the recipe and if you make this Kale, Quinoa & Sweet Potato Salad with Goat Cheese, please leave a comment below, I would love to hear from you! Also, if you like quinoa salads like me, make sure to try also Quinoa Salad with Oranges, Feta and Mint.
Ingredients
2 tbsp. olive oil
5 tbsp. freshly squeezed orange juice
salt, pepper to taste
4 cups kale, stemmed and finely chopped
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
2 cups water
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 tbsp. coconut oil
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 cup goji
1/4 cup goat cheese
Instructions
Prepare the vinaigrette: combine olive oil, orange juice, salt, and pepper. Place the stemmed and chopped kale in a large serving bowl and pour over the vinaigrette. Refrigerate for 15 minutes, this will soften the taste of the raw kale.
In a medium saucepan, bring the quinoa in cold water to boil over medium heat, then lower the heat and cover. Let it simmer for 10-12 minutes until the quinoa has absorbed all the liquid. Set the cooked quinoa aside.
Heat the coconut oil in a medium pan, add the diced sweet potatoes and sprinkle with nutmeg. Cook the sweet potatoes over medium heat for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Set aside to cool down.
Take out the kale from the fridge and add the cooled quinoa and sweet potato and goji in the serving bowl. Mix all until combined well. Serve sprinkled with crumbled goat cheese.
