Welcome to Cuisine, a monthly automatism post devoted to the pleasures of the table. The lovely Justine Craig-Walmsley, an Ottawa, Canada-based food writer who is also a gifted food stylist (the photos are by her, too) returns with another deliciously inspiring recipe. Bon appétit!
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I love making a big batch of grain-based salad at the beginning of the week, as it's one of the healthiest and easiest workday lunches I know of. Quinoa is one of my preferred whole grains to use for these salads, as it's very nutritious, as well as quick to prepare. This recipe is flexible, so you could definitely use purple beets instead of the golden ones, or goat cheese instead of feta. It would also be nice with pepitas instead of the pistachios. You get the idea!
Quinoa Salad with Golden Beets, Kale, Feta and Pistachios
Ingredients:
- 1 1/4 cups quinoa- 1 large golden beet, or 2 smaller ones- 1 bunch of lacinato or dinosaur kale, washed, stalks removed, leaves torn into 1" pieces- 1/2 cup crumbled feta- 1/2 cup pistachios, without shells- 6 tbsp olive oil- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar- 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced- sea salt
Recipe:
- Simmer quinoa with 1 1/2 cups water and a pinch of salt, until all water has been absorbed. Allow to sit off the heat, covered, for five minutes, then fluff with a fork and leave to cool.
- While the quinoa is cooking, trim and quarter your beet, then steam until tender.
- Remove beets from steamer, then steam kale until bright green, about 2 minutes.
- Once beets are cool enough to handle, remove skin, and cut beet into 1/2" cubes.
- In a small bowl, combine olive oil, vinegar, a good pinch of salt, and the garlic. Whisk to combine.
- In a large bowl, combine quinoa, beets, kale and vinaigrette, and toss with a fork to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning, if required.
- To serve, garnish with the crumbled feta and pistachios.
— Justine Craig-Walmsley
