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Roasted Vegetable, Kale, and Quinoa Salad with Clementine Vinaigrette

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Happy New Year, friends!  How were your holidays?  Did you have an exciting New Year’s Eve and a wonderful New Year’s Day?  Did you have souerkraut, black eyed peas, and greens?  We did.  I do not love any of these things, but I’m not willing to take any chances, so I ate them all.  We need all the luck we can get around here!

 


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Surprisingly, we had just four experiences with stomach bugs, a bit of doggie drama with bathing and furniture eviction, and only one middle of the night holy crap I’m in trouble with the law and need a criminal defense attorney phone call.

I know.  Good times.

 

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And trust me.  I know that it’s totally cliche to start out my first post of 2016 with a salad.  I also know that cliche should have one of those sexy punctuation things over the top, but I’m not technologically savvy enough to figure out how to put one there.  Don’t judge me.

 

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Any-hoo, after all the indulgences I’ve been guilty of giving and receiving, it’s time to add some hearty, healthy detox food to my life.  I actually love the combo of kale and quinoa in a salad.  Throw in some roasted beets, carrots, and BS with a citrus-y dressing, and it’s totally my jam!

 

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We need to be in fighting condition here in the Carolianas anyway ’cause we are 15-1, yo!  Our Cats are headed to the playoffs starting out in our own house!  Woot!

I think we’re all singing Sweet Caroline down here at this point! #keeppounding

 

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It was a bummer to lose to Atlanta last week and kill our undefeated status, but I’m hopeful to see Cam, Greg, Luke, and the rest of my Cats in the playoffs and we’d love to move onto SUPERBOWL 50.  (I don’t understand the Roman numbers and didn’t want to get it wrong).

 

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And now my vacation is over and I’m back at work.  #partysover

 

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Roasted Vegetable, Kale, and Quinoa Salad with Clementine Vinaigrette

Ingredients

  • 3 beets
  • 2 dozen baby Brussels sprouts
  • 5-6 carrots peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 2-3 tablespoons olive oil plus 1 tablespoon for massaging kale
  • 1/2 teaspoon thyme
  • salt and pepper
  • 6 ounces kale chopped into bite size pieces
  • 1 cup quinoa
  • 1/4 cup roasted and chopped chestnuts

Clementine Dressing

  • 2 clementines juiced and zested
  • 2 garlic cloves minced or pressed (via garlic press)
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • pinch each of:
  • tarragon
  • basil
  • fennel pollen
  • salt white pepper
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425
  2. Make individual foil packets for beets, drizzle beets with 1-2 tablespoons olive oil, seal the foil tightly, and transfer to a baking sheet
  3. Roast in oven for 60 - 75 minutes, depending on size
  4. Toss carrots and Brussels sprouts with 1-2 tablespoons olive oil, thyme, and a pinch of salt and pepper in a baking dish, roast for the last 30-35 minutes of the roasting beets
  5. Times will vary according to the size of the vegetables, roast until fork tender or texture of preference
  6. While vegetables are roasting, prepare quinoa according to package directions, spread out on a baking sheet or parchment paper to cool
  7. Toss kale in a large salad bowl with about 1 tablespoon olive oil and salt, and massage into leaves for 5 minutes or so
  8. Combine clementine dressing ingredients in a mason jar and shake vigorously
  9. Add the quinoa to the kale and toss to combine
  10. When vegetables are done set carrots and Brussels sprouts aside to cool slightly
  11. Unwrap beets, peel with a paring knife and cut into 1 inch pieces
  12. Top kale and quinoa with all the roasted vegetables and either toss with dressing or serve with dressing on the side

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Comments

  2. Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary

    Lol, you always crack me up, Rachelle! Glad your new year was eventful and a blast! Mine was pretty fun too, although I wish it included a trip to Charlotte.. soon, my friend! Anywho. Looove this salad! Roasted veggies, kale and quinoa is totally delish and that clementine vinaigrette sounds seriously scrumptious! I need to make this soon! Cheers, doll! Xo

    Reply

    • rachelle

      Things always seem to be eventful around these parts, my friend! You have GOT to get over here and get into shenanigans with me very soon! I’m glad you had a great time ringing in the new year in your new hometown! Whyyyyyy didn’t you move to Charlotte so we could be neighbors?!?!?! 🙂 Cheers! XO and Happy New Year, friend!

      Reply

  4. annie@ciaochowbambina

    Happy New Year, friend! Sounds like you had a great week – love it! And love this salad…especially that clementine vinaigrette…and the photo of said clementines…and the beets…and sprouts… 🙂

    Reply

  5. Linda @ Veganosity

    Hahaha! You made me spit out my coffee. You had a wild weekend! Not all fun, but crazy. This salad is just what you need to get you back on track. That dressing sounds amazing. I just pinned it for later. Happy New Year, Rachelle!

    Reply

    • rachelle

      Thanks, Linda! I hope you didn’t burn yourself on your coffee and plan to sue me! 🙂 Something needs to get me on track because I’m totally off the rails over here. Thanks for the pin and Happy New Year to you, Alex and the rest of the fam!

      Reply

    • rachelle

      Thanks, Jess! Roasted veggies are totally the best! I’m so glad that your hubs is home safe and sound! Happy New Year to you both! 🙂

      Reply

  8. Mir

    We had the stomach bug drama here! New Year’s Eve my son started up, and then I cleaned it up, so of course I got it. Fun times!
    This looks great. Wish I had it for lunch today instead of the nothing I brought!

    Reply

    • rachelle

      Ugh. Little people and stomach bug drama is no fun at all. I hope everyone is feeling better! I wish I had packed this salad for my lunch too instead of the leftover one that I left the croutons in to get soggy. #sadlunch Happy New Year, Mir!

      Reply

  11. Amanda

    This is such a great looking salad. I really like the Brussels sprouts and beet combo. And that clementine dressing sounds out of this world. I could put that on anything.

    Reply

    • rachelle

      Thanks, Medha! I discovered about a year and a half ago that I love making salad dressings out of seasonal fruit and clementines are in season! Happy New Year!

      Reply

  14. Kelly

    Happy New Year, Rachelle! Oh my goodness, what a way to start off the new year! Hope the rest of 2016 is full of luck and of course more of this gorgeous salad! Love all the roasted veggies in here! I could eat that whole bowl for breakfast right now!

    Reply

  15. David @ Spiced

    Stories! I need stories! You can’t put all of those teasers in there and not give us stories! But yes, this salad looks delicious. And I love that you used clementines for the dressing…creative! Let’s down some salads here for a couple of weeks so that we can get into football playoff munchies, mmkay? 🙂

    Reply

    • rachelle

      LOL! Attorney-client privilege! 5th Amendment! I’ll use them all to protect the alleged not innocent. 🙂 And you don’t want to hear stories about the stomach bug! I can handle salad until football food takes over!

      Reply

    • rachelle

      Happy New Year, Dannii! I would much rather eat Chrismas food all year long. It’s just that my pants won’t fit…. 🙁

      Reply

  17. mira

    Happy New Year Rachelle! I think it is just perfect to start the new year with a salad ! Love it, it is packed with my favorite ingredients! Love the dressing, can’t wait to try it!

    Reply

  19. Kathleen | Hapa Nom Nom

    Sounds like you had an exciting New Year! We just got back from an international trip a few days prior so by the time midnight rolled around, we were doing the ‘tired head-bob’ and were in bed by 12:01 😛
    I’m loving this roasted veggie salad and the colors are just stunning! Not to mention that vinaigrette – pure gold!

    Reply

    • rachelle

      Thanks and Happy New Year, Kathleen! You certainly had some excitement too if you were doing some international traveling! Welcome home! 🙂

      Reply

  20. karrie @ Tasty Ever After

    Happy New Year!! This is healthy sophistication at it’s finest! Love the clementine vinaigrette and I know I’ll be using that dressing on everything when I make this. No offense but boo to your Cats! We are Patriots up in here but all of our good players are hurt so our life is sucky right now (although we are in the playoffs! Yay!). BTW, you are right to call it Super Bowl 50 instead of roman numerals. The league decided not to use the “L” for 50 because it wasn’t pretty enough. Men! 🙂

    Reply

    • rachelle

      Boo my Cats? Shame on you, girlfriend! Those are my boys! 🙂 I’ll wish you a Happy New Year anyway. Just because I love ya bunches! Even if you are a Patriots fan. :

      Reply

  23. Ashley@CookNourishBliss

    I say bring on the salads!!! And especially when there are beets involved! This is gorgeous! Even though we live in NC we are big time Patriots fans here (well, the husband is and I have no choice in the matter lol).

    Reply

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