Prepare quinoa. In a medium pot, add the rinsed and dried quinoa. Mix it around until it gets nice and toasted, which is about 6 minutes or so. You might hear some popping noise and it smells good.

Next, add the water. Give everything a stir.

Cover, reduce heat to low, and set timer for 18 minutes.

Once the timer goes off, carefully remove the lid and fluff the quinoa with a fork. Set it aside to cool.

Next, it’s time to prepare the salad dressing. Add all of the ingredients to a blender or food processor, and blend/process everything together until creamy.

After you make the dressing, prepare the kale.

The best way to do this, is to remove the kale from the stems (the stems are bitter, so throw that away). Then fold up the kale tightly, and chop it pretty thin, about ¼-½ inch pieces.

Add the kale to a large bowl. Then add a pinch of salt and use your hands to massage the kale VERY WELL, until the leaves begin to wilt; this will help the kale soften.

Last, add the dressing, the cooked quinoa, cranberries, and toasted almond slices. Toss everything well and plate!

Garnish with shaved parmesan cheese and extra toasted almonds!