kale and quinoa salad with ricotta salata
It’s not my best quality, but I have a hard time talking about kale or quinoa with a straight face. When an ingredient is , when it is treated as if it were the answer to all food questions — what might feed us dinner/a be tricked into eating in muffins/be juiced for longevity/and possibly even save — I can’t help but want to rebel against it and both of these ingredients, these darlings of the farm-to-table circuit with their ubiquity on nearly every restaurant menu in lower Manhattan and upper Brooklyn, make easy targets. I know, I know, I should grow up and stuff.
Estimated Nutrition (whole recipe, rough)
What these numbers assume — 14 portions →
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Quinoa | 1 cup cooked (185g) | 222 |
| Ricotta Cheese | 1/2 cup (124g) part-skim | 174 |
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Cherry | 1 cup (138g) | 87 |
| Honey | 1 tbsp (21g) | 64 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Lemon | juice of 1 lemon (48ml) | 12 |
| Spinach | 1 cup raw (30g) | 7 |
| Almond | 1 almond (1.2g) | 7 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Dill | 5 sprigs fresh (1g) / 1 tsp dried | 4 |
| Vinegar | 1 tbsp (15ml) distilled | 3 |
| Mustard | 1 tsp (5g) yellow | 3 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
Totals for the whole recipe, adding one typical portion per ingredient — listed above. Quantities in the recipe are not counted, so this is a rough guide only — not suitable for medical or dietary planning.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa (or 1 1/2 cups cooked)
- 8 ounces Black Kale, also known as Cavolo Nero, or Lacinato, Dinosaur, or Tuscan Kale
- 1/2 cup slivered almonds, very well toasted and cooled
- 1/3 cup dried cherries, chopped a bit
- 2 to 3 scallions, thinly sliced
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill
- 2 ounces ricotta salata, crumbled or finely grated
- Few gratings of fresh lemon zest
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons smooth Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon coarse Dijon mustard
- Just shy of 1 teaspoon honey
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste