Every year around this time, I begin to eat my weight in cherries. With such a short season, I take every chance I get to add cherries to what I am eating - smoothies, yogurt, cookies, cakes, salads - you name it, I have probably tried to add cherries to it. And that doesn't even get at the amount I consume daily as a simple snack or dessert. So of course, when I was working on a new quinoa and kale salad last week, I had to add cherries. The salad itself is simple - quinoa, kale, cherries, scallions, and a simple lemon vinaigrette. Though it pains me to think about this day, blueberries or raspberries will work when cherry season ends.

Kale, Quinoa, and Cherry Salad Servings: 4 Serving Size: 1.5 cups Nutritional Info: 289 calories, 10g of fat, 44g of carbohydrates, 5g of fiber, 8g of protein Weight Watchers^® PointsPlus^®: 7 *

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa
• 3 cups kale
• 1 cup cherries, pitted and chopped
• 1/4 cup green onions, chopped
• 3 tbsp. lemon juice
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp. honey (or agave)
• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Combine the quinoa and water/broth. Add a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil. Stir and cover. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let rest for 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile prepare the remaining vegetables and make the dressing by whisking together the lemon juice, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, mustard, salt, and pepper. Optional: For a softer kale, massage half of the dressing into the kale using your hands for about 3 minutes until the kale softened.
3. Toss everything together.

Read the original on: Slender Kitchen