Tucked away at the top of the hill in Wailea you’ll find Matteo’s Osteria, a fine choice for lunch or dinner. Each time I visit Matteo’s I order their “Superfood Salad,” hearty and filling. I enjoy it so much I decided to experiment with a lemon-honey dressing in hopes of coming up with a tasty rendition that I could make at home any time. I am happy to say this lemon-honey dressing is quite sublime. I’m a big fan of zesty dressings and the bright flavor of fresh squeezed lemon juice is delicious and refreshing.
How convenient! I found this mix of kale, red cabbage, and carrots at our local market. John is not a fan of kale to say the least. Yet he devoured the salad and confessed that it was very good indeed.
I’m in love with hemp seeds. I found them in the bulk section at Mana Foods. They are tiny little seeds that taste somewhat like sunflower seeds and are delicious sprinkled on salads. They are very nutritious as well.
The dressing has just the right tartness with a hint of honey.
Adding a few tablespoons of quinoa to each individual bowl adds a nice texture to the salad and a hit of protein as well. Many recipes use quite a bit of water and the quinoa can turn out soggy. I find that using just 2/3 cup of water works well for 1/2 cup of uncooked quinoa.
Kale Salad with Quinoa, Hemp Seeds & Lemon-Honey Dressing
Inspired by the Superfood Salad at Matteo’s Osteria
Serves 4
Dressing
1 1/2 tablespoons diced onion
5 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
3 teaspoons Dijon mustard
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons light mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Combine all ingredients in the cup of an immersion blender and process until completely incorporated. If you do not have an immersion blender a regular blender will work fine.
Salad
8 ounces kale salad mix (kale, red cabbage and carrot)
1/2 cup cherry or grape tomatoes sliced in half
12 tablespoons cooked quinoa, white or tri-color (see cooking directions below)
4 tablespoons toasted pumpkin seeds (I toast the seeds on a piece of foil in my toaster oven, 300 degrees about 5 minutes. Watch closely so they don’t burn).
4 tablespoons hemp seeds
Prepare quinoa: Place quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer and rinse thoroughly. Drain well. In a small saucepan heat 2/3 cups water with a dash of salt. Once the water comes to a boil, add quinoa, turn the heat to low and cover the pan. Cook for 15 minutes without lifting the cover. Remove from the heat and leave the pan undisturbed for 15 minutes. Fluff quinoa with a fork.
Wash kale salad mix, pat dry. Place in a large bowl and toss with enough dressing to coat the salad generously. Divide salad into 4 individual bowls.
Scatter tomatoes, quinoa, pumpkin seeds and hemp seeds over each bowl. Drizzle extra lemon-honey vinaigrette over the salad and serve right away.