Crunchy Quinoa and Kale Salad with Tarragon dressing

A couple weeks ago, my son had a celebratory event at his school, which happens twice a year. Our ritual, over the past two years, has been to go eat out afterwards, to celebrate him, his learning and his progress. This year, we ended there late and were running out of time, so we decided to go to Whole Foods. I love their salad bar and always browse it, even if I don't buy anything, just to get inspired. And sure enough, there was this salad that I HAD to replicate. It was crunchy, which I love, fresh, and had two of my favorite ingredients: kale and quinoa!
I made it at home a few days later, and it didn't quite taste the same, so I tried to make a fancy dressing to go with it and the result was pretty nice. Tarragon is not an herb that I have used much, but I LOVE it. It has a unique, refreshing taste and I love it in salads. 
When I made the salad again for a friend, I took pictures of it, brought it to her house, added some avocado on top and sprouted beans on the side for added protein, only to realize the next day, as I opened my fridge, that I had totally forgotten to put one of the main ingredients in the salad: celery. So the picture doesn't reflect exactly what the salad looks like, but just use your imagination and add celery to that mental picture :)

The good news about this salad is that you can find all the ingredients at Trader Joe's, which now sells ORGANIC dino kale, one of my favorites! So get in the kitchen and try it, it's so easy!

Salad:

1 bunch of dinosaur (lacinato) kale, chopped finely
3-4 cups cooked quinoa
10 stems celery, chopped finely
3 apples, chopped in cubes
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup pecans

Mix all the ingredients in a big salad bowl

Dressing:
1/3 cup cashews
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup fresh tarragon
1/3 cup water
1 shallot
1/2 tsp herbamare or sea salt
1 tbsp agave or maple syrup

Put all the ingredients in a small blender and blend until you obtain a creamy texture.





Pour the dressing onto the salad ingredients and mix thoroughly. Let it sit for an hour before serving (preferably) so the kale can soften with the dressing. This salads keeps well in a closed container in the fridge for about 3 days.