I hope everyone is coping with this crazy way of life and I hope all of you are doing your part, staying home as much as possible and ‘sheltering in place’, staying safe and healthy… or weathering the virus if you’ve been unfortunate enough to have to deal with it.

I have to say that even though I’m not extraordinarily social to begin with and often choose to stay at home… I have certainly felt the effects of the mandated stay at home order. It’s been about 2 months since we’ve socialized with anyone. And even though it’s not something that would bother me, I miss family diners, I always love having family over and cooking and sharing a meal. Certainly it’s easy enough to catch up over the phone and I have been keeping up with these close to me. As nice as it is to keep tabs on folks from afar, I miss the in-person meals.

Since it was my sister-in-law’s birthday this past week we decided to have my in-laws over for dinner…. it was a small group, we kept it intimate and there were just the 6 of us. Trust me when I say this is definitely on the small side, Passover/Easter dinner would have been 20+ but we cancelled those plans pretty quick. This mealtime was definitely a departure from the norm.

On the Covid front, our province, Manitoba is doing quite well and we are not seeing increases as of late and our numbers have been pretty low. We figured we could let our guard down in a small way and have a very small gathering. Only with those others that are also very careful to have been sheltering in place so 6 seems a good number for the time being.

One of my sisters-in-law is vegan and so with burgers and matchstick fries that my husband loves so much I made this salad as a main for her. It was inspired by my favourite warm kale salad at Earl’s who don’t seem to have it anymore, at least I haven’t seen it, and we haven’t been there in quite some time. As I recall they dress it and use regular potatoes but this one doesn’t seem to need any dressing and I used sweet potatoes as a healthier option. Theirs also has Brussel sprouts which I didn’t add but definitely they would make a good addition (roasted on their own then added).

In the spirit of being kind to yourself… none of these ingredient quantities are carved in stone…. add or take away as you like or have available…. it should be inspiration…. and be flexible much as we have had to be…. and if you happen to make it this particular way I promise deliciousness!

It seems like a little bit of work but really it’s just a couple of ingredients that need to be cooked separately that times a bit of coordination. However, it is worth every minute so if you have a vegan in your life, or even if you don’t, this one is a definite must try.

Warm Kale and Quinoa Salad – Vegan

• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups water
• 2 garlic cloves crushed
• 2-4 tablespoons (splashes) of olive oil – use for quinoa and sweet potatoes and kale
• 1 large bunch of fresh kale
• 2 cups sweet potatoes diced
• 1 small jar of slow roasted tomatoes recipe found here or you can use sun-dried tomatoes (about 250 ml)
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries (I just put an handful)
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds (again, just a handful)
• 1/3 cup hot pickled eggplant (optional)

First get the quinoa going with the water and once it’s bubbling set to simmer for 15 minutes – then let sit uninterrupted for 5 before you fluff with a fork.

While the quinoa is cooking put the diced sweet potatoes on a pan and toss with the olive oil, place in oven on broil turning and tossing occasionally until browned and crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. This should take about 10 – 15 minutes.

Put a splash of olive oil in a fry pan with the crushed garlic and fry on low to medium heat until fragrant. Rinse and rough chop the kale and add to the garlic and pan fry until the kale softens a bit, about 5 minutes.

Once the quinoa is cooked place in large bowl with the kale and sweet potatoes. Chop up the tomatoes and add to the mix, also add the cranberries and almonds and eggplant if using. I have the pickled eggplant around because I add it to other things, I find it’s a nice ingredient to have around for adding to salads like this but if you don’t have it don’t worry, the salad would be fine without it.

Cover and keep at room temperature until ready to serve. I find this salad doesn’t need any kind of dressing and is fine on it’s own. I would have probably added crumbled feta cheese if I weren’t serving it as a vegan dish so that’s something you can also add if you like.