Apple and Kale Salad with Pepperberry & Cherry Flavour Pearls

This recipe for Apple and Kale Salad with Pepperberry & Cherry Flavour Pearls is perfect for when the weather starts to cool a little. Fresh crisp Apple slices are delightful with the nutty Quinoa and toasted Pepitas, earthy Kale and fruity Pops of Pepperberry & Cherry Flavour Pearls. We dressed ours simply with our favourite Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Sea Salt & Pepper.

What you’ll need

• Quinoa – we used Tri-colour, 1/2 cup uncooked will yield 1.5 cups cooked
• Apples – we used 2 Royal Galas as they looked the nicest on the day
• Kale – bunch, washed well please
• Pepita/Pumpkin Seeds – a couple of tablespoons
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil (or your favourite dressing – Kewpie Roasted Sesame Dressing is a good one to try)
• Sea Salt & Pepper
• Pepperberry & Cherry Flavour Pearls 

To do

Rinse your uncooked Quinoa well with cold water – this is to remove bitterness, trust me you don’t want to forget this step! Pop it into a saucepan with plenty of extra water – it will absorb 3 times its volume of liquid. So 1/2 cup Quinoa to 3 cups water. Bring to the boil and cook for 10 – 15 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. I just pop mine in a sieve to do this. 

I cooked the Kale – raw is also great if you prefer, go for the smaller/younger leaves as it can be a little tough. To cook firstly you need to remove the leaves from the woody stem.

2 easy cooking options 1. blanch quickly in a pot of boiling salted water – refresh in cold water after. 2. put the leaves in a Microwave safe bowl with a little water a sprinkle of salt and zap for a minute or so until wilted – refresh in cold water. I tend to blanch for larger volumes and Microwave if less. It’s up to you, the result will be pretty similar.

To toast the Pepitas just pop them in a fry pan with a little Olive Oil and gently cook until they get a little colour. I like to add a little salt while I’m cooking them too. Drain them well in a sieve with a little paper towel. You should cook more than you think you’ll use too, I guarantee that you will start nibbling on them!

*all of the items above can be prepared a day in advance if you wish to plan ahead

To serve

You will need to slice your Apple. I just sliced each ‘cheek’ off and thinly sliced them. I like to dress and season my Quinoa and the Kale separately. This makes it easier to make it look pretty in the bowl too. 

Simply arrange the cooked and dressed Quinoa, Kale and Apple slices in your bowl. Sprinkle the toasted Pepitas on top and lastly add a few spoons of Pepperberry & Cherry Flavour Pearls.

Until next time

From the Peninsula Larder Team

“It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that have to announce that I ate kale and liked it.”

Greg Behrendt