Quinoa Kale Salad

It's spring (although it snowed in Chicago this week) so I'm back to eating salads for lunch instead of comforting and warm soups. I have lots of quinoa salad recipes but I haven't make one with kale yet, so here it is! The key to making kale edible is to massage it with oil. This helps break down the vegetable and easier to eat. This salad has quite a few ingredients but it's easy to make. The amounts are approximate so feel free to adjust to taste and skip an ingredients or two if you don't have it.

Ingredients (3-4 servings)
1/2 cup dry quinoa
1 cup water
4-6 stalks kale
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 red pepper
1 carton cherry tomatoes
2 green onions
1/2 cup pine nuts
1 cup chickpeas
1/2 cup kalamata olives
2 Tbsp. dulse flakes
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
These ingredients are approximate so use to your own taste. First, start cooking the quinoa by combining with the water in a pan. Bring to boil and reduce to simmer until the water is absorbed. Add more water if quinoa is not cooked thoroughly. While the quinoa is cooking, shred kale into bite-size pieces (without the stem) in a large bowl. Add olive oil and thoroughly massage into kale until it turns a dark green color. Chop the red pepper and onions and add to bowl. Halve the tomatoes and olives and add to bowl. Add the pine nuts, dulse flakes, chickpeas, vinegar, salt, and pepper and mix thoroughly. Once the quinoa has cooked and cooled, add to bowl and mix again. It's good to let the salad set for a while for the tastes to combine and absorb, the vegetables won't get soggy so the leftovers are great too! Serve cold.