Kale Salad with Pesto and Quinoa

I am a kale fanatic. I love kale. I love it raw, baked, sautéed, juiced, blended - you name it, I'll eat it. Kale has a good amount of fiber, b vitamins, and calcium. It's also one of the highest sources of antioxidants of any vegetable. I picked up some kale this past weekend at the farmer's market and it's still sitting in my fridge. It's definitely time to do something with it and I could use a good chlorophyll boost.

I love making salads with kale becuase they always retain their crunch. I also like using marinated onions because they lose some of their kick, but still keep a good deal of flavor. I also bought some basil earlier in the week (all the while being annoyed with myself for buying something so out of season). It was starting to go brown so I had to come up with something to do with it. For lack of creativity, I made pesto. The funny thing is that I don't even like pesto.

I kept asking Ashley how we could get rid of it. Would she eat it? Did we know anyone that would want it? I was in the middle of making this salad and then decided to add some pesto just to get rid of it. I don't know what made me do it, but it turned out really good. Apparently I only like pesto when it's covered in kale (not the other way around). The sweet richness of the pesto complemented the tangy apple cider vinegar marinade perfectly! If I had cilantro, I'd even be willing to try this with cilantro pesto.

1 bunch kale, chopped (stems removed)
1 cup raisins
2 medium apples, diced
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1 can black beans
1/2 red onion, sliced

Onion Marinade:
1/4 c apple cider vinegar
2 Tbs agave
1/4 c olive oil
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
salt & pepper to taste

Pesto:
juice from 1 lemon
1/4 c olive oil
3 Tbs water
3 garlic cloves
2 c basil leaves (stems removed)
1 c walnuts
salt & pepper

Mix the onion marinade in a medium bowl and add the onions slices. Cover, refridgerate, and let sit overnight.

Combine the quinoa with water and cook over medium-high heat until quinoa is ready. Set aside and let cool.

Combine the kale, raisins, apples, and beans in large mixing bowl. Combine quinoa when cool. Add the marinated onions. Add 1/2 c of the pesto and mix.

Soy-free, gluten-free