Kale quinoa salad with red grapes

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa
3/4 tsp. sea salt
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. coriander
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cups stemmed and finely chopped kale
1/4 cup lightly packed chopped fresh mint
1/4 cup lightly packed chopped parsley
1 tsp. lemon zest
1/4 cup halved red seedless grapes or 3 tbsp. raisins

Directions

Place quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer and rinse well under cold running water.

In a small saucepan, bring 1 1/2 cups water and 1/2 tsp. of the salt to a boil over high heat. Add quinoa and cover. Decrease heat to low and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until quinoa is just tender. Remove from heat and allow quinoa to rest for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

While quinoa is cooking, whisk together lemon juice, the remaining 1/4 tsp. salt, cumin, coriander, red pepper flakes and olive oil together in a large bowl. Add kale and give it a quick massage with your hands. Add quinoa, mint, parsley, lemon zest and grapes and toss lightly to combine. Serve at room temperature.

Tip: Quinoa is naturally coated with a bitter-tasting resin. To remove the resin, put the grain in a bowl of cool water, swish it around with your hand and drain it in a fine-mesh sieve before cooking.

Serves 4

Recipe reprinted with permission from "The Healthy Mind Cookbook," Copyright © 2015 by Rebecca Katz with Mat Edelson, Ten Speed Press, a division of the Crown Publishing Group, Berkeley, CA. Photo by Maren Caruso.