We cooked for all of our favorite editors and mogulettes at Hearst's, 'Cafe 57,' with just one mandate-- hot & healthy. This is our warm & hearty early fall take on the perfect side dish. We served it with roasted snapper but chicken or roast turkey would be just as delicious.
Ingredients
1½ cups red quinoa
4 cups salted water
10 oz chopped kale (8 cups)
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more as needed
⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
2 cups diced pumpkin or butternut squash
½ cup chopped pecans, toasted
1 garlic clove smashed
pinch red pepper flakes
juice and zest of 1 lemon
Instructions
Rinse the quinoa well, then combine in a sauce pot with the salted water and place over a medium flame. Cook until very tender, about 20-25 minutes. Strain the cooked quinoa and spread into a thin layer on a baking sheet to steam dry.
Toss the kale with 3 tablespoons olive oil and ⅛ teaspoon salt. Spread the kale into a single layer on a baking sheet- use two if necessary- and bake at 300˚F until crisp. Set aside to cool.
Turn the oven to 400˚F. Toss the pumpkin with olive oil and a pinch of salt. Roast the pumpkin in the oven until lightly browned and tender, about 12-15 minutes.
Place a large saute pan over high heat. Pour in enough olive oil to completely cover the bottom of the pan. Add the garlic clove and pepper flakes to oil. When the garlic begins to brown, add all of the quinoa and leave to cook 5 minutes without stirring. This will allow the bottom layer of quinoa to crisp. Scatter the pumpkin and pecans over the quinoa and toss or stir to mix well. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and fold in the baked kale, lemon juice and zest. Serve warm.
Recipe by The Couple's Kitchen at https://thecoupleskitchen.com/red-quinoa/