When Jason and I moved into our first and current home, we received stacks of bills, letters and magazines addressed to the previous owners (which we’d set aside for them to collect at their convenience). Now that some time has passed, misdelivered mail is few and far between. But the catalogs keep coming.
It’s a blessing in disguise. While I was initially annoyed by the barrage of advertisements, now I can’t resist taking a gander. Which leads me to the inspiration for this butternut squash and kale quinoa salad studded with caramelized red onions, chewy dried cranberries and crunchy toasted pecans.
Strangely enough, as I was flipping through the unsolicited January issue of Costco Connection Magazine, I came across a collection of wintry salads. One, by cookbook author and culinary educator Rachel J. Weston, immediately caught my eye. So I tore out the recipe and made a version of it over the weekend. Jason and I have since been eating the kale quinoa salad on repeat; we don’t mind as the flavors only get better with time.
Recipe adapted from Rachel J. Weston.
- 3 cups water
- 1½ cups uncooked quinoa, rinsed and drained
- ½ teaspoon sea salt, plus more, to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small red onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ small butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into ½" cubes
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1½ cups packed torn kale leaves
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup chopped toasted pecans (see notes)
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fig balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon orange marmalade
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- In a medium sauce pan, combine the water, quinoa and salt. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer until water is absorbed, 15-20 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and toss frequently until cool.
- Meanwhile, in a large fry pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add garlic and butternut squash, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
- Add sautéed vegetables, kale, dried cranberries and pecans to bowl with quinoa.
- In a small bowl, combine the dressing ingredients (olive oil through garlic) and whisk until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Drizzle dressing over quinoa mixture and toss gently to combine. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.
What a great looking winter salad! YUM!
Thank you, Megan!
This was a wonderful inspiration for me. I didn’t have alot of your exact ingredients but the recipe is so interchangeable it’s wonderful. Didn’t have any quinoa so I used barley, excellent! Also didn’t have the marmalade so used apricot jam and same with your balsamic, just used plain balsamic. And I only had sliced almonds in the house. Worked great, thanks so much!
I love that you switched up the ingredients, Susan! The combination sounds lovely.
A++++++++++++
I used triple berry marmalade, toaster sunflower kernels instead of pecans – tastes amazing and healthy!
Sounds delicious, Agata! Glad you liked it.