Before going gluten-free I might have gotten really excited about ripping off say, Outback Steakhouse’s Bloomin’ Onion recipe. But now I’ve got to de-wheat everything and quite frankly, these healthy food spots are some of the few places that get it 100% right. When Cafe Gratitude landed in my neighborhood I truly thought it was a gift from god. I would walk around the corner and fill up on I Am Fortified, and I Am Transformed until my inner punk rocker screamed, “Enough!” And then I moved*. Which means, of course, I’ve got to make do with my own gluten-free, vegan, cooking. So bring on the greens and grains, ya’ll!

This is the hardest part of this recipe, cooking the kale, which means it’s really not very hard at all.

I know. It’s no deep-fried Kool-Aid, and I mourn that fact. And I’ll be making up for eating a ton of this healthy dish later this week when I make gluten-free Rice Krispie treats. But for now, if you’re looking for some healthy gf goodness, look no further. As clearly I’m not the only blogger obsessed with Cafe Gratitude bowls of hippie.

Cafe Gratitude’ish Quinoa Bowl Recipe

adapted from In My Box

Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

Dressing:
4 T. orange juice
1/4 t. salt
1 T. olive oil
1 T. tamari (wheat-free soy sauce)
1 T. rice vinegar
1/2 t. toasted sesame oil

Quinoa:
1 T. olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1 dried serrano chile, finely chopped
Pinch of salt
4 small garlic cloves, pressed or minced
2-3 tightly packed cups of kale
2-3 cups cooked quinoa, red or white
2 large or 3 small scallions, coarsely chopped
2 cups shredded carrots
2 T. toasted sesame seeds

1. Make the dressing by stirring together salt and orange juice and let sit a few minutes. Stir in olive oil, then add tamari, vinegar, and sesame oil. Set dressing aside.

2. De-vein greens and slice into short, very thin strips. Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat, then add in onion, salt and serrano chile. Cook, stirring, until onions just begin to brown. Add in garlic and kale, and cook, stirring, until greens wilt and become tender. Add in the cooked quinoa, and cook, stirring, until the quinoa is heated through. Add in the scallions and carrots and remove pan from heat. Stir in dressing, and sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on top, if desired. Cover to keep warm.

Makes: A ton

*You know, Cafe Gratitude, if you opened another restaurant closer to my new house, I wouldn’t have to steal from you. Love, April