Kale and Quinoa Salad with Strawberries, Pecans and Avocado

When I plant my garden in the spring, I tend to be an over planter, which is all fine and dandy, until later in the season...when the plants go wild and you cannot even begin to wade thru the greenery without stepping on something. But, in the early summer, when everything is behaving well, my garden is a lovely calm place to while away the time pulling weeds,  and thinning the rows of beautiful greens. Which leads us to this salad. Instead of thinning and tossing, I like to use the thinning in salads like this, kind of a waste-not-want-not kind of thing. It makes me feel less guilty about pulling out perfectly good plants :)

Baby Kale against a backdrop
of carrots, that need to be thinned
as well!

Kale and Quinoa Salad with Strawberries, Pecans and Avocado

6 cups chopped baby Kale (packaged or picked from your garden!)

2 cups cooked quinoa, cooled

2 avocados, diced

2 cups strawberries, hulls removed and sliced

1 cup chopped toasted pecans

Dressing:

1/3 cup olive oil

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar or white balsamic

Zest and juice of one organic lemon

1 tsp sea salt or herbamare

1 Tbsp honey

Fresh ground black pepper to taste

½ cup chopped garlic chives (optional, you can sub regular chives if desired)

Toss the salad ingredients in a large bowl.

Combine the dressing ingredients into a 2c mason jar. Place lid on snuggly and shake well to combine.

Toss together well and serve immediately, or chill in refrigerator for up to a day if desired.

Squeeze lemon into your jar

use rasp to grate the zest BEFORE
squeezing the lemons...much easier!

to cool your quinoa quickly,
spread on a large plate and
set in the freezer for 10 minutes.

Perfect side dish for BBQ Chicken 

Light and Lemony Poppy Seed Dressing

This simple dressing goes together in the blink of an eye, and is perfect for any light summer salad. It will keep in your fridge for up to a week with no problem. 

Light and Lemony Poppy Seed Dressing

½ cup olive oil

2 Tbsp raw apple cider vinegar

Juice of 1 Lemon

2 Tbsp Maple syrup

1 tsp Herbamare or sea salt

2 Tbsp poppy seeds

Measure all ingredients into a 2 cup mason jar. Screw on Metal lid, shake well, and use on salad of choice. 

Pictured on fresh garden lettuce and baby
kale, avocado and tomato

Pictured on a quick salad of grapefruit, avocado
and chiffonade-ed basil. A quick and tasty lunch!

How to "chiffonade" basil: 

stack basil leaves in a pile...

roll them up like a cigar
as best you can...

thinly slice with knife, ta da! Basil Chiffonade!

Easy Avocado Lime Salad Dressing

Served here on a bed of lettuce, cucumbers,
leftover bbq chicken and sprouts :)

This is one of my favourite salad dressings. Tangy and creamy, perfect for any spring salad! If you need to keep it dairy free, you can add more water in place of the kefir or yogurt.  This makes enough to dress a large salad, and keeps well for a day or two in the fridge.

Easy Avocado Lime Salad Dressing

1 ripe avocado, halved, pit and skin removed,

1 lime, juiced (approx 2 tbsp juice)

1/3 cup plain kefir or yogurt

1 clove garlic

½ tsp Herbamare or other sea salt

¼ cup water or more

Optional:  few dashes of hot sauce

Place all ingredients in blender and blend till smooth.  (we have the Cuisinart Blender with the individual cups, they work well for this dressing) Add more water if needed to thin to desired consistency.

Serve over salad of choice!

Guacamole

This is a recipe I am asked for time and time again. And I always say the same thing…it is so easy to make!!! Avocados are a nutrient dense food, full of healthy fats, potassium, folate and vitamin K, just to mention a few of the awesome phytonutrients they contain!

This guacamole is my favourite way to eat avocados. As a dip for organic corn chips, as a topping for scrambled eggs, use as a spread on wraps or sandwiches, thin with some milk, kefir or water for an awesome salad dressing…the yumminess is endless. 

Avocados ripen after they are picked, not when they are on the tree. So a bit of planning may be necessary to make the perfect guacamole. When ripe, they should give just slightly. You don’t want them too hard or too soft. (You can ripen them faster if you put them in a brown paper bag with a ripe banana for a few days too!) They will ripen on the counter, but stop ripening when refrigerated.

Guacamole

3 ripe avocados

½ cup chopped tomatoes*

1 clove garlic, minced

1 lime, juiced

½ tsp sea salt

½ -1 tsp hot sauce or a dash of cayenne (I like Franks Red Hot)

Halve the avocados with a sharp knife. (please be careful!) To remove the pits easily, hold the halved avocado firmly in the palm of one hand, and whack (gently but firmly!) the sharp knife into the pit and give a slight twist.

 Lift the knife and the pit should come right out. Carefully pull the pit off the knife and discard.**
Repeat with all three avocados.

Scoop the flesh from the halved avocados into a bowl, and mash with a potato masher or a fork to desired consistency. I like mine a bit chunky.

Add the rest of the ingredients, and stir well to combine.

Chill before serving if desired, and enjoy!

* Use any kind of tomatoes you want, canned or fresh. I have even used cherry tomatoes in a pinch! If they are too juicy give them a bit of a squeeze and drain before adding them to the avocado mixture or you might end up with runny guac!

**If you are making the Guacamole in advance, save one of the pits and stir it into the guacamole before storing in the fridge, it helps it from turning brown.