Kale & Squash Salad with Crispy Quinoa & Sticky Pistachios

& a Mexico City recap!

Hi! Welcome to “good mood food” from Kale Me Maybe’s Carina Wolff. If you’ve made it here and aren’t yet a subscriber, come join! You can expect recipes, musings, and faves in your inbox every Wednesday! Paid subscribers get even more! Learn more about my paid membership here. You can also try a week for free!

CATCH UP!

We just got back from Mexico City last week, and we had the best time! I’ve never received more food recommendations in my life, and I now understand why. The food there is INCREDIBLE, from the street tacos to the fine dining. I love how so many of the restaurants and streets are overflowing with lush plants and greenery. It’s such a vibrant city, and I feel like we barely scratched the surface.

I added a story highlight to my Instagram called “CDMX" where you can check out everything we did on our trip, but I also made a post sharing my highlights if you want the quick lowdown. It’s always hard to leave a city after traveling because you quickly start to realize how much more there is to explore. I knew it was impossible for us to do everything while we were there, but it still didn’t stop me from packing our days from morning until evening. That being said, I had to accept that in just six days, we were only able to get a small taste, and that’s okay.

I love the feeling of being completely absorbed by a new city, wandering novel streets and indulging in new foods, hearing different languages, and feeling the unique buzz of a new atmosphere. It always seems to set a reset button on my mood, leaving me feeling refreshed and inspired, even when I am physically tired from all the walking and early flight wake-up calls.

On the flip side, now that I’m home, I also have an appreciation for my own bed and everyday routine — but that’s not stopping me from going away again this weekend, too — oops!

THINGS I’M LOVING!

My friend Liz Moody came out with a Limited Edition nut butter with Ground Up! Her Strawberry Black Pepper Nut Butter is genius, although I would expect no less from my culinary queen. Her special nut butter is a blend of macadamia and cashew with freeze-dried strawberries, a touch of honey, and flaky sea salt. Seriously gourmet! You also HAVE to make her cookie recipe which features the nut butter.

Ok, I HAD to include the dress I wore to my friend’s wedding last week because it seemed to be a big hit when I posted it on Instagram! This gold dress is from Bloomingdales, and it is both comfortable and glam! It’s double on sale right now too, so it seems like you’re all in luck!!!

I saw this Our Place Oven Pan when I went into their Venice store opening, and my in-laws kindly gifted it to me! I love how big it is (because I always just want to roast EVERYTHING at once), and as an added bonus, it also doubles as a griddle. And the checkered silicon mat is so cute! I got the steam color, which is more neutral, but they also have fun colors!

RECIPE!

I wanted to make a kale and squash salad with a little more ~pizazz~, so I took a page from Justine Snacks’ book and made some spicy crispy quinoa to go with it! I am now in love with crispy quinoa! It’s a great protein source and adds some crunch to salads.

To take things even further, I made some sticky maple pistachios to add a little sweetness and nuttiness to the salad. You can go ahead and wait a little longer to get them completely candied, but I actually liked them more sticky.

Kale & Squash Salad with Crispy Quinoa & Sticky Pistachios

Ingredients (serves 2-4)

• 1 butternut squash, seeds removed, peeled and diced

• 2 cups cooked quinoa (1 cup uncooked)

• 4 tbsp oil, divided (I used chii infused oil and regular olive oil)

• ½ cup pistachios

• 2 tbsp maple syrup

• ¼ small red onion

• 1/4 cup goat cheese

• 2 bunches of kale, stems removed and roughly chopped

• Salt & pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Add the butternut squash to one baking sheet, drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and toss.

2. Add the cooked quinoa to the other baking sheet, and drizzle with 2 tbsp olive oil (I used the chili-infused oil here). Toss with your hand, and spread evenly in a single layer.

3. Transfer both baking sheets to the oven, and cook for 20-30 minutes, stirring the quinoa every 10 minutes. The quinoa will take about 25-30 minutes. As soon as it starts to get toasted and golden brown, remove. The squash will likely need longer, so flip the squash when the quinoa is done, and cook for another 10-20 minutes until nice and caramelized.

4. While everything is baking, prepare the sticky pistachios. Add the pistachios and maple syrup to a pan on medium heat. Mix together and cook for 2-3 minutes until bubbling. Transfer to a parchment paper lined plate, making sure the pistachios cool in a single layer.

5. Slice your onion into thin slices, and add to a bowl of water to soften.

6. Add kale to a large bowl with the remaining 1 tbsp oil and a pinch of salt. Massage with your hands to soften the kale and break down the fibers.

7. When everything is ready, add the butternut squash, drained red onion, crispy quinoa, pistachios,  and goat cheese to the bowl. Drizzle a SMALL amount of balsamic vinegar on top (to keep the quinoa crispy, you won’t need a lot, the salad is flavorful), and toss.

Alternatively, you can add just the squash, drained red onion, and pistachios to the bowl, toss with a little balsamic vinegar, and then plate with the crispy quinoa and goat cheese on top. Either way works (the quinoa will still be crispy as long as you don’t drench it)!

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