Healthy Fall Bowtie Pasta Salad With Kale and Quinoa

A healthy and delicious fall bowtie pasta salad
punched up with amino acid and protein rich quinoa
and nutrient dense kale.

 

I had this spectaculicious pasta salad for the first time last week,

while I was up at my brother’s farm in Canada.

His youngest daughter-in-law whipped it up while we waited for the fire to get hot enough to roast hotdogs.

I have to admit, as I watched her cook pasta, stir simmering quinoa, snip curly kale and sizzle olive oil and chopped garlic in a frying pan…

Well, I just wondered, how is this pasta salad going to turn out? What’s with everything hot and mixed at the last minute?

My limited pasta salad knowledge didn’t realize just how tasty this was going to be.

But one bite was all it took.

I was in love with a new dish that my future outdoor-meal guests may sometime wish I had never discovered.

It is just that good.

And made at the last minute?

Nothing can be wrong with a salad that can be thrown together at the last minute.

It was not at all a concern to me that I had never before had kale or quinoa in a pasta salad.

I know.

You’re wondering which planet I’ve been hiding on the last few years.

So, now, I invite you to join me on this new enlightened planet that makes pasta salad a health food.

 

 

What You Need to Make Healthy Fall Pasta Salad

On the Canadian prairies kale isn’t ready for picking until the beginning of August,

so that’s why I’m calling this a Fall Pasta Salad.

(Because where I live, I’m getting really, really ready for fall.)

If you purchase kale in the grocery store it can be a year-round healthy pasta salad.

So this is what you need:

1. Bowtie Pasta because all the goodness gets into the creases of bowtie and explodes in your mouth.
2. A nice bunch of kale, the curlier the better.
3. Quinoa. The word ends like the sound of an air kiss.
4. Olive oil: virgin, extra virgin, or not, it’s all good.
5. Chopped garlic bud. And then chop it some more.
6. Salt and pepper and other spices that you know more about than I.
7. Balsamic vinegar or one of the other fancy vinegars that isn’t white.

These next steps can be done in any order. Except for the last step, which is mixing the salad together.

(Ever tried mixing a salad without having all the ingredients ready? Yup!!)

 

 

Prepare the bowtie pasta

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil. You may add salt for flavor and oil to prevent a boiling tidal wave.
2. When water is boiling, add pasta.
3. Stir once, then cook at a slight boil for the time recommended on the pasta package.
4. Strain in a colander and set aside.

 

Kale

1. Pick a nice bunch of kale from the garden.
2. Rinse and drain the leaves.
3. Tear or snip into small pieces.
4. Heat olive oil in skillet on low heat and add kale.
5. Stir and heat for 4 to 5 minutes, until it just starts to wilt.
6. Pour into the bowl in which you will mix the salad.
7. Set aside.

 

 

Quinoa

1. If your quinoa package says it’s been rinsed, skip this step. Otherwise, place the seeds into cold water and cover. Let sit for 2 minutes. This will remove the outer shell. Rinse the water off the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer for 30 seconds. Drain the extra water and add the quinoa to a cooking pot.
2. Add 2 cups liquid for each cup of quinoa you want to cook, and some salt.
3. Bring the water to a boil. Cover the pot and reduce heat so it just simmers. Wait 15 to 20 minutes. Check the pot. If the water is all gone, it’s ready. Otherwise simmer until the water is gone.
4. Turn off the element, keep the pot covered, and let rest for 5 minutes. This will allow all the water to be absorbed and the seeds will turn translucent.
5. Set aside.

 

Olive oil and chopped garlic

1. Pour oil into a skillet and turn the heat on low.
2. Add the chopped garlic and simmer for awhile. Make sure it doesn’t scorch, because even on low it can eventually burn.
3. Add salt and pepper.
4. Set aside.

 

 

Mix the Healthy Fall Bowtie Pasta Salad

Now that all the ingredients are cooked and maybe cooled a little, add the olive oil/chopped garlic/balsamic vinegar/spices dressing to the pasta.

Then add everything else.

Stir it all together in a large mixing bowl, place into the serving dish, and chill until serving time.

If you’re serving immediately, take it out to the serving table. It will be cool and just right by the time it’s served up and eaten.

 

 

Let us know if you love this Healthy Fall Pasta Salad
as much as we do.

Until next time,

Love, Kim & Dorothy

 

PS: Did you know that Kimenink Kitchen Shop has some really handy recipe albums to keep all your favorite recipes? This new recipe is one we just know you’ll want to add to your stash.