Kale Salad with Quinoa + Spiced Tofu, for one

In what seems like no time at all, the New Year has come and gone, and six days later, I'm wondering where the time went. It happens every year - we do what we do and before we know it it's the end of the year. How?! As for New Year resolutions, I tend to make them, but have trouble remembering them, even when I make a nice little list of all the things I want to achieve in the coming year. The list sits in my notes on my phone, gets looked over every once in a while, and never taken seriously. I feel like the 'resolutions' I made this year are something I'd want to achieve regardless of the fact that it's now 2013. Well, we'll see. One of the resolutions is actually 'eat more kale'. I know, my life is that exciting. However, as a vegan, kale is a must-eat for calcium, among other nutrients. Plus, it's pretty tasty, so it's not that hard of a goal to achieve. Especially when it's coated in garlic. 

Kale Salad with Quinoa + Spiced Tofu, for one

Ingredients

2 cups washed kale, torn into bite-sized pieces

1 tsp minced garlic

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

Dried chilli flakes, to taste

Juice of 1/2 a lemon or lime, to serve

1 medium carrot, shaved with a peeler, or grated

1 Roma tomato, cut into chucks

1/4 avocado, cubed

1/4 - 1/2 cup cooked quinoa (I cooked it with half water and half vegetable stock, for more flavour)

Enough tofu for one serve, cut into chunks

Cumin, to taste

Place the kale in a medium bowl; add the garlic and extra virgin olive oil and massage into the kale using clean hands for a minute or so, until the kale is slightly softer and coated with the oil and garlic. Add the carrot, tomato, avocado, and chilli flakes, mix, and set aside. 

Add the tofu to a small pan with a little olive oil spray or regular olive oil. Sprinkle the tofu with cumin - cook on both sides until browned slightly. 

In a serving bowl, add the kale salad on one side, and the tofu and cooked quinoa on the other. You can combine everything together if you desire. Squeeze over a little lemon or lime juice to taste, and enjoy!