Quin-Wha?

Thanksgiving Kale Salad

It's not a fluke. She likes it! She really likes it!!! (And if that quote doesn't make you think of either a) Sally Field or b) Life cereal, then you need to watch more television.) It was a lofty idea I had, feeding a kale and quinoa salad to my preschooler, good eater though she is. I was banking on the cranberries to sell it, and they came through for me big time.

I first served this warm and hearty number a couple of weeks ago. It was on a night when dada wasn't around, so I was assured that no one would pester me about the absence of any meat products. We both gobbled it up happily. The next night she even chose it over whatever else was being offered. That's right. She chose leftover veggie-grain salad. I'm a superhero.

After such an enthusiastic reception, and after reviewing it's powerhouse status in terms of nutrients, I decided that it should be a regular feature in our rotation. So I made it again this past week and crossed my fingers that it would pass my husband's "where's the meat?" test. At the last minute I grilled some sausages to go with it. Contrary to popular belief, I'm not actually a glutton for punishment. The great news is that E loved it again, and loved the leftovers again too. This time she even ate it without complaint after the promise of pizza fell through. That's serious. J declared it to be "alright", complete with shoulder shrug, but he gets antsy whenever I start messing with the hippie grains.

Long story short, try it out at your house. It's really delicious.