Kale and Quinoa Salad with Daiya Cheese

I love kale and quinoa!

When I first discovered these food geniuses, I would saute the kale with garlic in some olive oil and serve it on top of some quinoa.  Eating it as a salad green was too adventurous for me. Since I've been up to creating some fun salads, I deided to combine my two favs with some mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes and Daiya Cheese.


Some folks say that they can't go vegan because they can't imagine a life without cheese. They have not had Daiya Chese. Their soy free,gluten free and vegan cheeses are very reminiscent of the real thing!

The Havarti style with jalapeno and garlic has the same texture as feta. I stumbled upon it at a Ralphs's by my folks house in Redondo Beach but have yet to find it at my local markets. Sad Tummy. But, the shredded mozzarella version is available at all Fresh & Easy stores.

Now, back to what's in the salad:


- Finely chopped Kale
- Sliced crimini mushrooms
- Sun dried tomatoes
- Warm quinoa ( Cook quinoa with veggie broth instead of water for flavor. Also, add in some salt and pepper to the water.)
- Crumbled Daiya Havarti Style Wedge
- Equal parts apple cider vinegar and olive oil with a dash of salt and pepper 


The apple cider helps break down the coarseness of the kale and the warm quinoa taste awesome with the cheese. This is a perfect salad.

EDIT:  I forgot to tell you where you can get these ingredents for yourself!

Quinoa: Fresh & Easy- As of this posting date, F&E has it on sale for $2 bucks!

Kale: Trader Joe's- Get the bagged organic kind. It cost about $3 and some change.

Crimini Mushrooms: Whole Foods or Farmer's Market- I like to pick and feel my own 'shrooms and avoid getting the pre-packed kind. It's about 5 bucks for a pound, but I always get 1/2 a pound.

Sun Dried Tomatoes: Trader Joe's- Cost about $2 bucks for a 3oz bag.

Daiya Havarti Style Wedge: Ralph's Redondo Beach on Hawthorne Blvd- This one will possibly be the trickiest ingredient to find. You can do what I plan on doing and looking up store locators on their website and calling each store to see if they have this specific variety. http://www.daiyafoods.com/where-to-buy


Seasonings: I use Kosher Salt I picked up at Ralph's ; and some cracked pepper from Trader Joe's. any brand of Apple Cider Vinegar and Extra Virgin Olive Oil will do.