I have a love affair with this particular salad from a little place here in Los Angeles called KindKreme. It’s the best salad that has ever lived. The only problem is that I cannot afford to eat it everyday, and yet I keep going back! So the only solution was to recreate it, and I think I got pretty darn close. I really wish I could get a better picture too, it’s so stunning in person! Now this salad is worth every penny I’ve been spending, because it is truly a labor of love. If you were making this for one night, I’m not going to lie, it would take an hour to throw together. It also seems like quite the unusual combination of ingredients on paper. BUT, my recipe below is something you can do at your leisure on a Sunday, and then you will have everything you need to make a fast five minute salad for the week. I know what I’m asking you to do, gamble away 5 days worth of lunches on the assumption that this is so good, you will want to eat it everyday? But trust me. I’m a professional. A professional salad eater. This salad will feel like the heartiest most flavorful meal you have ever eaten, it will keep you full for a good 6 hours (in a pleasant way, not like a pizza binge way) and yet, and YET, I have lost many a pound eating this salad every single day for a month, so really, it is pure bliss in a bowl.

Kale & Quinoa Bliss Bowl

makes approximately 7 big bliss bowls

3 cups water

for the Spicy Pesto Cashew Creme Dressing:

1.5 cups raw cashews

1 packed cup fresh basil

6 cloves garlic

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 tsp red pepper flakes

salt and pepper to taste

In a medium sauce pan, bring the 3 cups of water to a boil, add the cashews, cover and remove from heat. let that sit for about 20 minutes. Alternatively, if you want to be awesome and make this an even longer process but keep more nutrients intact, simply soak the cashews in cool water overnight. Either way, reserve about a cup of the soaking water and drain your cashews. Throw the cashews, along with the rest of the ingredients into a food processor or blender and blend away until a smooth creme forms. This takes about 5-7 minutes in my crappy little food processor. It might be quite thick, so gradually add 1/4 cup at a time of the soaking water until you get the salad dressing consistency you desire. Personally, I like to only add a few tablespoons of the liquid, to keep the consistency like that of hummus, because then it’s thick and spreadable and you might just want that for a sandwich midweek. there will be plenty of dressing to go around. Then, when I’m making my salad each day, I just thin it with a little water or apple cider vinegar as I see fit. Really what I’m getting at, is when it’s thick and spreadable, it is delicious when sneaked by the spoonful from time to time!

for the Quinoa:

4 cups water

a sprinkle of salt (to be added each time you make the salad)

2 cups white quinoa (99% of the time I prefer red or tri-color quinoa, but for this, go white)

You know the drill quinoa fiends: rinse your quinoa in a sieve before hand, boil the water, add the quinoa, stir, cover, reduce to low, cook for 15 min. Fluff and set aside.

for the Pickled Veggies:

1 big mason jar

1/4 of a purple cabbage, shredded finely

1/2 c shredded carrots

5 parts apple cider vinegar to 1 part agave nectar

Now, these veggies will last you a long time (up to two weeks) and go great on a lot of things, so I’m going to let you choose your mason jar size, fill it about halfway with the vinegar/agave mixture, and then add your shredded veggies. Just make sure the veggies are completely covered. Give it a good shake and refrigerate overnight (or for an hour at least)

for Everything Else:

1 head of curly green kale

1 tbs olive oil

8 ounces marcona almonds (I like the ones with Rosemary from Trader Joe’s, the original salad uses sweetened almonds, so just find some fancy roasted almonds that make you happy)

1/2 thinly sliced red bell pepper

hemp seeds for sprinkling

Optional: drizzle of hot sauce, just a few dots

Ok, here we go: I like to start with warm quinoa, so if you are pulling it out of the fridge, start with about 1 cup of quinoa, give it a tiny sprinkle of salt, and heat it up, put this at the bottom of your salad bowl.

Next take about 2 kale leaves per bowl, destem, and massage the leaves with the olive oil. If you haven’t been massaging your kale, you have not been living!!! All you do is rub the olive oil onto your finger tips, then literally massage the leaves. You will see that they instantly turn a bright luscious green, as if they have just been steamed. This makes them 10 x easier and more enjoyable to eat, without losing any nutrients from actually steaming. Try it! Next, thinly slice the massaged kale into a thin chiffonade. Add this on top of the warm quinoa.

Now, sprinkle a few of the shredded pickled veggies on top, about 2 tbs. Then sprinkle on about 8 Marcona almonds, the red bell pepper, and a sprinkle of hemp seeds. Finish it off with a hefty drizzle of the Spicy Pesto Cashew Creme. Add a dash of hot sauce if you like.

The drizzled dressing looks very pretty, but another way to do this is to toss the kale with the dressing in a seperate bowl, to really coat every bit, then add it to the quinoa, then add the other ingredients on top.

I know that seemed like a lot, but I promise after the initial prep, you are only ever 5 minutes away from a complete bliss bowl

Bon Appetit!