Name: Quinoa Roasted Vegetable Chopped Salad Tossed to Order
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 3 people
Ingredients: 3 lbs baby potatoes or sweet potatoes! Yum; 2 red onions cut in 1 inch sections; 5 stalks dinosaur kale aka lacinato kale or Tuscan kale; 2 large handfuls spinach I have big hands, so you might want 3…just sayin’; 1 cup cooked quinoa use as much or as little to your preference*; chopped walnuts; red grapes sliced in half; handful fresh basil sliced in thin ribbons; goats cheese or feta; ¼ cup rice wine vinegar; 2 tablespoons walnut oil this should be stored in the refrigerator; 2 heaping teaspoons Thai Chili Paste; 2 garlic cloves chopped; 1 tablespoon light brown sugar packed; 2 large pinches kosher salt; Freshly ground black pepper

Set out lbs baby potatoes or sweet potatoes! Yum, red onions cut in 1 inch sections, and stalks dinosaur kale aka lacinato kale or Tuscan kale before you start Quinoa Roasted Vegetable Chopped Salad Tossed to Order. The batch is written for 3 people.

Count on 15 minutes of prep, 45 minutes of cooking, about 1 hour from the first measurement to the plate.

Ingredients Method

What goes in the bowl

For the Salad

3 lbs baby potatoes or sweet potatoes! Yum
2 red onions cut in 1 inch sections
5 stalks dinosaur kale aka lacinato kale or Tuscan kale
2 large handfuls spinach I have big hands, so you might want 3…just sayin’
1 cup cooked quinoa use as much or as little to your preference*
chopped walnuts
red grapes sliced in half
handful fresh basil sliced in thin ribbons
goats cheese or feta

For the Sweet Chili Dressing

¼ cup rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons walnut oil this should be stored in the refrigerator
2 heaping teaspoons Thai Chili Paste
2 garlic cloves chopped
1 tablespoon light brown sugar packed
2 large pinches kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

How the cooking goes

Warm the oven to 400° with a rimmed sheet pan on the middle rack.
In a mixing bowl add potatoes and onion. Sprinkle with 2 large pinches kosher salt and about ½ teaspoon black pepper. Drizzle with oil. Start with about 1 tablespoon, toss the veggies and see if they are all coated. They should appear moistened but there should not be any excess oil in the bowl. You also check to see if there is salt and pepper on each piece. Adjust as needed.
Roast the vegetables in preheated oven on preheated pan for 20 minutes, stir and roast an additional 20 minutes. Depending on the size of your potatoes, you may need another 20 minutes before you start checking for doneness. Potatoes should be easily pierced with a fork and the outsides should be browning nicely.
While the vegetables cook, prepare the rest of your salad and dressing. Removed the ribs from the kale and slice into thin ribbons, as thinly as possible; add to an extra large bowl. Chop the spinach then add to the bowl. Add all the remaining ingredients through basil and toss to distribute.
It helps to let the quinoa cool a little before adding it to the mixture because it will be HOT and it will wilt the spinach too much.
When the veggies are done add as many as desired to the bowl and toss all ingredients to distribute evenly. Drizzle with dressing, tossing as you go, until there is enough to your taste. On this salad you use a little more than usual because the rice vinegar is mild and the chili and garlic add a lot of flavor.
Add cheese if desired and serve slightly warm and enjoy!**.

To make the dressing

Add all ingredients to a salad dressing jar or another container that you can close completely. Shake vigorously until the mix looks even. The dressing will not emulsify for 2 reasons: garlic isn’t a very good emulsifier and we aren’t meticulously whisking in the oil to try to emulsify it. This kitchen is too lazy and you don’t like to wash the extra dishes. It will hold together long enough to pour on the salad and it will not separate on the salad. Those are the only components you really care about. You do you.