It’s fine to indulge with beer and bbq on the Fourth of July (we won’t judge!), but if you are feeling the need to offset the less nutritious choices, try adding a serving or two of this super healthy salad to balance out the bloat and give your body a dose of healthy protein and antioxidant rich goodness!
Apricot, Kale and Quinoa Salad
Rich in protein, fiber and antioxidants, this salad packs serious good-for-you flavor!
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1.5 cups water
- 2 small or 1 large clove of garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon course-grain Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon apricot preserves
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 4 cups finely chopped washed kale
- 4-6 pitted and sliced fresh apricots
- 1/4 red onion coarsely chopped
- 1/3 cup roughly chopped or whole almonds toasted
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat a saucepan over medium heat. Add quinoa and water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 12 minutes. Allow quinoa to cool. (Note: most quinoa packages will tell you to use 2 cups of water to 1 cup of quinoa but I have found that leads to mushy quinoa, so I think 1.5 water to 1 cup quinoa is much better).
- In a large bowl (this can be the bowl you plan to serve the salad in, whisk mustard, garlic, apricot preserves, oil, and vinegar, and season with salt and pepper).
- Once dressing is complete, add all you other ingredients right into the dressing bowl- kale,onion, apricots, toasted almonds, and cooled quinoa. Toss the salad and enjoy!
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Photo credit: Getoffyourtushandcook.com