Kale and Quinoa Bountiful Bowl

Hey baby, it's HOT outside! Talk about a sweltering summer, it was 100° here today with a "real feel" of 108°! Good thing I have the recipe for this Kale and Quinoa Bountiful Bowl up my sleeve, it requires very little actual cooking, but it seriously eats like a meal and tastes like a little bit of heaven too. Ahhhh, summer, bring on your heat wave because I've got dinner covered! 

{{ The recipe and post for this Kale and Quinoa Bountiful Bowl was made in partnership with Dole. We received product and compensation in exchange for it. Opinions are always our own. Thanks for your continued support! }} 

Kale, quinoa, and chickpeas oh my!

On the hottest of summer days there is nothing that I want more than a gigantic salad bowl filled to the brim with perfectly dressed greens loaded with lots of superfoods like kale, quinoa, and chickpeas! While other salads eat like, well salad, this Kale and Quinoa Bountiful Bowl eats like a meal and won't leave you fighting off a case of hanger later.

Let's talk about all the delicious elements that make up this scrumptious Bountiful Quinoa Bowl shall we?

It all starts with the base, the essential building block for our Kale and Quinoa Bountiful Bowl!

The  DOLE^®Triple Quinoa Bountiful Kit || The base of my bountiful bowl is by far the easiest dish ever to assemble! Simply open the bag, pour the chopped kale and carrots into a large bowl, top with the bountiful blend of red, white and black quinoa mixed with chickpeas, then toss everything in Dole’s delicious Lemon Basil Vinaigrette. It's great on its own, just like this or all dressed up into hearty Bountiful Bowls!

Now, what about everything else? Let me break it down for you....

Blanched, roasted, or grilled vegetables || For this particular bowl I had blanched asparagus on hand, but you can use any seasonal vegetable that you already have cooked and ready to go. Easy peasy!

Assorted fresh or marinated vegetables || Toss in some juicy heirloom tomatoes, a few marinated baby artichoke hearts, some roasted red pepper strips, or maybe even a healthy dose of citrus pickled onions. Heck, now that we're talking about this maybe you should pile in all of those! It just all sounds so GOOD!

To season your tomatoes like mine: I like to slice up a whole bunch of heirloom tomatoes then drizzle them with olive oil and a splash of red wine vinegar before sprinkling with coarse flaky salt, red pepper flakes, and cracked black pepper. MAGIC!

To make hot pink pickled onions: Cover thin slices of red onion with freshly squeezed lime juice, allow to marinate for a few hours until they soften and the color changes. These babies are tart and tangy so a little goes a long way, go easy!

Protein of some sort, any sort! || You do you, literally anything goes. On the day that I photographed these beautiful Bountiful Bowls I had Instant Pot hard boiled eggs on hand, but I have made them with crumbled feta and toasted nuts for my vegetarian husband, and with sliced rotisserie chicken breast for my daughter before. Every variation has been a big hit!  You could do shrimp, grilled steak, or even just shreds of deli meat. Anything goes, don't worry since it's all going to be delicious!

To make Instant Pot hard boiled eggs: Pour 1 cup water into the bottom of an Instant Pot. Add the steam rack. Place the amount of eggs you would like to cook on top of the steam rack. Put the lid on, set the pressure valve to "sealing" then select "Manual" (pressure cook) at high pressure for 5 minutes. Once the cook time is over, carefully release the pressure by moving the valve to "venting" then transfer the eggs to an ice water bath for 2-3 minutes to stop the cooking process. 

Savory sprinkles || For the love of Pete! Don't forget the savory sprinkles people. I'm talking about flaky sea salt, fresh cracked pepper, and lots of Aleppo pepper flakes! Feel free to use red pepper flakes if you want to bring the heat!

If you’ve tried this Kale and Quinoa Bowl Recipe, I would be so grateful if you would rate it. Let me know what you think in the comments below. I just love hearing from you and your reviews and comments really help others that visit This Mess is Ours!

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What are the health benefits of quinoa?

Quinoa is a great source of antioxidants and nutrients, especially for those who want to avoid gluten. It is packed with healthy proteins and contains all 9 necessary amino acids. Controlling blood sugar and cholesterol levels are just a few of the benefits of eating quinoa.

Click here for more information on the health benefits of quinoa.

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