Maple Mouse Mama

Quinoa, Kale & Butternut Squash Salad, Oh My!

By: MapleMouseMama71 Comments

Quinoa, KaleThe last thing I thought I would ever eat and actually enjoy is this salad.  Yes, it does actually contain quinoa, kale and butternut squash and yes it does actually taste really good! Both quinoa and kale are considered to be super healthy due to all the great nutrients they contain.  Read up on them if you really want to know more, but the most important part, the taste, I can vouch for.  They were pretty good!  Canadians celebrated our Thanksgiving last weekend and it was my lovely Mama who decided to make this concoction.  I must point out that she got the recipe from the Marilyn Denis Show and it was showcased by chef Lynn Crawford. Being a blogger and not being very good at cooking I jumped at the chance to help out and share this dish with you.

There is a fair amount of prep work for this salad, but a lot of the chopping can be done while your squash is cooking.  My Mama wanted me to point out that she purchased many of the ingredients from the bulk food store.  This saves buying large portions of something you may not use all of.  This is an excellent tip as we all know that MapleMouseMama likes to “keep good food from going bad.” Without further ado I present:

Quinoa, Kale & Butternut Squash Salad

Ingredients:

  • 1 & a 1/2 cups quinoa, mix red & white for colour
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cut into bite size pieces
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 ribs celery, diced
  • 2 medium leeks, washed & chopped
  • 1 tsp. fresh garlic, minced
  • 3 ounces curly kale, chopped
  • 1 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • 2 tbsp fresh herbs, parsley, chives & thyme, finely chopped
  • Chicken or vegetable broth (instead of water), optional
  • Juice from 1/2 an orange & 1/2 a lemon, optional
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • 1/3 cup chopped walnuts, optional

quinoa, kalequinoa, kalequinoa, kale

 

Directions:

1. Prepare the quinoa according to package instructions, substituting chicken or vegetable broth for the liquid called for in the instructions. This is optional though.  Preheat oven to 400F and adjust rack to middle position.
2. Toss squash with one (1) tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  (I would leave the salt and pepper out, but not my mama.)  Spread the pieces evenly in a baking dish and cover with foil.  Roast for 15 minutes, remove foil and roast for an additional 20 minutes, until edges are golden brown.  Remove from oven and set aside.
3. Meanwhile, in a medium to large pan, add remaining olive oil over medium heat.  Add the celery and saute for two to three minutes, until slightly tender.  Add the leeks and saute for an additional two to three minutes, until leeks & celery are tender.  Add the garlic and cook for another (1) minute more.
4. Reduce the heat to low.  Add the chopped kale and saute over low heat until kale has wilted.
quinoa, kale
5.  In a large bowl, combine the cooked quinoa, butternut squash, vegetables from the saute pan, cranberries and herbs.
quinoa, kale
6.  Squeeze the juice from half an orange & half a lemon over all the herbs.  Stir until combined, season with salt and pepper. (I found that we did not need the juice, but again, that is my personal opinion.  My mama loved it! )
7.  Just before serving top with 1/3 cup chopped walnuts, optional. We did not use the walnuts due to food allergies, but it would have added a nice crunch to the whole dish.
quinoa, kale

So there you have it folks; Quinoa, Kale and Butternut Squash Salad.  You can serve it as a side dish or even as a meal.  I think every food group is covered here.  We served ours warmish, almost room temperature, but you can certainly heat it up or serve it cold.  Bon appetite!

Any suggestions for what we could add to top off the salad and give it some crunch without adding nuts of any kind?

FT&PD

Suz

Comments

  1. 1

    Chantal Allcott (@RottenBabee) says

    Ok this sounds absolutely delicious. Tried Quinoa once and didn’t like it at all but I think it was the kind I bought, PC brand with all these herbs in it, but I’m willing to try it again with this recipe. Which kind did you buy? and what aisle in the supermarket? because I see it in the Cereal and Rice aisle.

    Reply
    • 3

      MapleMouseMama says

      I didn’t think I would like it Jennifer, but it was actually great and the quinoa was the perfect texture.

      Reply
    • 9

      MapleMouseMama says

      Being the great cook you are Randa I am surprised you have not tried butternut squash! It is pretty good!

      Reply
  6. 10

    Louise says

    Hello again Suz! The salad looks delicious however, I don’t eat veggies. I know, I know. It’s bad that id on’t eat vegetables. I have tried many times but I guess, it’s so hard to start eating now.

    My dad loves salads and I’m sure he’d love to try this recipe of yours. Hope we do it right. 🙂

    Reply
    • 11

      MapleMouseMama says

      LOL Louise, I know some veggies can be yucky 🙂 as my kids would say, but when you combine all of these great flavours and textures you would never be able to tell what is a veg and what is not 🙂

      Reply
  12. 22

    Tim says

    This is a great looking salad very fresh. I am feeling a little over-Kaled these days but that said it still looks like a great side-dish.

    Reply
    • 23

      MapleMouseMama says

      I wonder how it would be with a different green? I am not a creative cook, but I am sure you could substitute with this one..

      Reply
  16. 30

    slickmaster says

    I have to be honest here, but it’s the first time I heard such a salad dish like that. Maybe because I’ve seen rare of ingredients putted up. Though I bet: it’s really nutrious as the way it tastes. I want to try one soon.

    Reply
  18. 34

    Vanessa says

    Quinoa is very popular in my country as healthy nutrition and there have always been many recipes using this product, but strange enough, I have never heard of this recipe. It seems a nice one to try, providing the products is not so hard, so I am gonna try it soon!

    Reply
    • 35

      MapleMouseMama says

      I have to admit Vanessa that I am not well versed in the uses of quinoa, but this one was really good!

      Reply
  21. 40

    Von Avancena says

    oh my! what a healthful looking dish! i would love to try that out especially that im trying to modify my diet however, i think these ingredients do come a bit expensive in the philippines

    Reply
  27. 47

    Christine A says

    The recipe looks so vibrant and delicious! I’m always trying to incorporate more vegetables in meals and this looks like a great recipe to try.

    Reply
  28. 48

    Anne Taylor says

    This salad sounds amazing! I love quinoa but haven’t used it in a salad before! Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply
  31. 53

    Lee-Ann says

    This salad looks fabulous! I am definitely going to have to give it a try. Doesn’t look that hard to make, and my daughter loves anything that has quinoa in it!

    Reply
  39. 62

    Rosanne Robinson says

    his salad is so colourful and full of really nutritious ingredients, I’m looking forward to trying it, thanks!

    Reply
  40. 63

    Rosanne Robinson says

    This salad is so colourful and full of really nutritious ingredients, I’m looking forward to trying it, we’re always looking for new salad combinations, thanks!

    Reply
  41. 64

    kathy downey says

    This looks absolutely delicious,can you believe we just stated eating Butternut squash this year,dont know why but just never had it,wow i didnt know what i was missing.Will try your recipe over the winter.Thanks

    Reply
  44. 67

    Treen Goodwin says

    I have never tried Quinoa before , this sound delsih , i love squash , i will def try it out , thanks for sharing 🙂

    Reply

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