One Pot Kale and Quinoa Pilaf
Alas, poor Yorick...
The stem ends of the kale, which was quite beautiful. If you can't find lacinato kale, you can use swiss chard or regular kale, or a mix of both.
The kale gets roughly chopped into wide strips.
Amanda shows off her brand-new (and very sharp) knife from Japan -- a great Christmas present!
Quinoa, although about the same size as couscous, cooks for longer -- here, it simmers, covered, for 15 minutes and then steams for another 5.
Have you ever seen a more beautiful cross section?
Here's Amanda's bright yellow citrus reamer! It's fabulous, and it really gets the job done -- with no seeds!
Amanda snatches the pine nuts off the stove just before they start to burn!
The kale goes right on top of the quinoa. With the cover on the pot, it steams until it's just tender but still has a bit of a bite.
The quinoa and kale will be tossed with all of these fresh flavors once they're cooked.
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Author Notes: I initially developed this combination by combining sauteed kale with leftover quinoa, but have come up with a from-scratch method to cook both elements together perfectly. It satisfies the eternal resolution to eat healthy, teaming complete-protein quinoa with antioxidant-rich kale. And it's one-pot easy, making it a simple way to incorporate healthy eating into a worknight rotation. - deensiebat
Food52 Review: Deensiebat's pilaf breathes new life into a familiar classic. Both the quinoa and the hearty strips of lacinato kale (you can use chard or standard kale) crunch lightly between your teeth, and Meyer lemon juice and zest keep the quinoa from being bland. Fresh goat cheese and walnut oil just barely coat the warm pilaf, giving it a creamy, tangy finish, and toasted pine nuts lend some crunch. We love the technique of layering the quinoa and the kale and cooking it all in one pot. - A&M - A&M
Serves 2-4
- 2 cups salted water
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 bunch lacinato kale, washed and chopped into 1" lengths
- 1 meyer lemon, zested and juiced
- 2 scallions, minced
- 1 tablespoon toasted walnut oil
- 3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
- 1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
- salt and pepper
- Bring the water to a boil in a covered pot. Add the quinoa, cover, and lower the heat until it is just enough to maintain a simmer. Let simmer for 10 minutes, then top with the kale and re-cover. Simmer another 5 minutes, then turn off the heat and allow to steam for 5 more minutes.
- While the quinoa is cooking, take a large serving bowl and combine half of the lemon juice (reserving the other half), all of the lemon zest, scallions, walnut oil (you can substitute olive oil if you desire), pine nuts, and goat cheese.
- Check the quinoa and kale when the cooking time has completed -- the water should have absorbed, and the quinoa will be tender but firm, and the kale tender and bright green. If the quinoa still has a hard white center, you can steam a bit longer (adding more water if needed). When the quinoa and kale are done, fluff the pilaf, and tip it into the waiting bowl with the remaining ingredients. As the hot quinoa hits the scallions and lemon it should smell lovely. Toss to combine, seasoning with salt and pepper, and the remaining lemon juice if needed.
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3 days ago MJ
This was my first time making quinoa, it was tasty and easy. I will definitely make it again and again! I thought the recipe as is, was perfect.
22 days ago phyllis
I serve this dish as often as once a month. Sometimes as dinner in one pot and sometimes, as I will do tonight, as a side with some broiled fish or chicken. It's delicious and I'm not a huge kale lover.
23 days ago Tashipluto
I got home from work at 9pm last night and was confronted with the fact that I had to make a food contribution to a school fundraiser, to be brought to school in the morning! I was lucky enough to have kale, lemons, quinoa, pine nuts, and spring garlic on hand. Found a piece of hard sheep's milk cheese and used that instead of goat cheese. This took less than half an hour to prepare -- and I had to shoo my kids out of the kitchen to keep them from eating it all! Now they're begging me to make it for them -- thanks for an amazing dish!
24 days ago Shelly Rehman
Very nice! The lemon and cheese compliment the kale and nutty quinoa. I used pumpkin seeds as I was out of pine nuts, and also had pre-cooked quinoa so just had to do the kale. Definitely will become part of my regular side dishes.
27 days ago Susan B.
I have made this too many times to count. Just ate the leftovers of my latest pot for lunch today. Delicious!
about 1 month ago carmen_a_l
I made this for dinner last night with super-not-fancy-plain-old grocery store kale, lemons & olive oil. Yummilicious. Even the kids ate it. Thank you for a new recipe for the "everyone likes it" box!
about 1 month ago Sarah H.
This recipe is a great alternative to my normal pantry dinner go-to's. I served it with a side of roasted butternut squash, and the sweetness played off well with the peppery kale and creamy goats cheese. Plus, my partnter, who is a vehement naysayer of kale and quinoa, cleaned his plate!
3 months ago Gessie
Any suggestions to make this sans goat cheese without taking away any flavor? I'm vegan and hate most vegan cheeses...was thinking of adding garlic and chickpeas, thoughts? Thanks!
3 months ago daisybrain
Some Miso might add some depth of flavor and richness. I'd probably use a deeper one.
3 months ago The Junk Drunk
Chopped up roasted red peppers might add the velvety, rich feel of the goat cheese. The butternut squash suggested below sounds great too!
thejunkdrunk.wordpress.com
3 months ago rachel waters
I'm in the transition to vegan land and find vegan cheese to be just disgusting. I used to make it w/feta, now I just make it sans cheese and add some extra scallions and toasted pine nuts. I don't miss it!
3 months ago Amanda Brothers
See below. There are a couple of posts re: making a vegan version and substitutions.
about 1 month ago drbabs
Barbara is a trusted source on General Cooking.
Gessie, I made this without cheese this week, and I added a few cloves of garlic that I had roasted in olive oil (I keep that in the refrigerator because I don't tolerate raw garlic well.). It was delicious, and I didn't need the cheese at all.
3 months ago Melissa Roth
Delish! But then again, I love kale and goat cheese. I'd alter the first step though. Simmering the quinoa and kale for an extra 5 minutes after the quinoa was cooked nearly burnt our pot and cost us some quinoa.
3 months ago missmoon
Seems like this would work very well with cous cous also. I haven't read all the posts so don't know if anyone has tried that.
3 months ago beegoode
This was very delicious, though I wish we'd had goat or feta cheese on hand (we subbed Parmesan). I'll try making this again with a different cheese!
3 months ago rebecca22
made this for a dinner party tonight...mmmm. its SO good! added more lemon because I love the tartness against the creamy goat cheese. this is an easy crowd pleaser. was happy to try walnut oil too-very yummy.
3 months ago ChefFace
This made me ALMOST love quinoa, I still don't love it, but I liked it, I added some roasted butternut squash and walnuts in place of pine nuts. Thanks! I'm on my way to being a converted quinoa lover, I just know it!
3 months ago Colleen McAllister
Great. I bet the squash was really good.
3 months ago ChefFace
It was!! Creamy goodness with the little bites of goat cheese and tangy kale and lemon to offset it. :)
4 months ago hmoronez
Best recipe ever. It's amazing hot or cold.
3 months ago emf224
Agreed; so versatile. I’ve omitted the pine nuts and goat cheese and added broth to make soup. I’ve also substituted toasted pumpkin seeds and added chunks of mango to make a nice cold side dish. (Adding white beans or chickpeas make it a meal for me.)
4 months ago GeorgeaP
This is a staple recipe in my weekend routine. It's so easy and satisfying!
4 months ago rachel waters
This is such a favorite of mine...especially because I always have everything on hand and just need to pick up kale. Check out my blog post on it here:
http://feastoffashions...
4 months ago Deja Shepherd
i did not like this.
4 months ago Susige
I now make this with Toasted Sesame Oil instand of Walnut Oil and to me it tastes even better!
1 day ago mayfrates
Oh Susige! You're a lifesaver! I inadvertently added toasted sesame oil (I have friends coming over for dinner tonight and was making this ahead of time because I'm running short on time!) and was wondering if I should throw the whole thing out but decided to read the comments on the off chance someone mentioned the toasted sesame oil. Yay! I have high hopes it will still turn out just fine!
about 21 hours ago Susige
Mayfrates - I think you'll really enjoy it! Next time, make it with Walnut Oil so you can compare them. I really prefer it with Toasted Sesame, even though both are very good. Enjoy!
4 months ago Amanda Brothers
I love this recipe! I am vegan, so I skip the goat cheese and I'm allergic to pine nuts, so I skip those, too. But it's still delicious! It cooks up great if you follow the instructions. Easy and quick to cook, and so hearty and healthy. Four stars!
4 months ago The Junk Drunk
This is such an excellent recipe that I make frequently. Thank you for sharing it with all of us.
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