Kelapo Kale and Quinoa Pasta

When Jen first contacted me from Kelapo asking if I’d like to review Kelapo Coconut Oil, I was like “Gurrrrl, of course I would!” I mean after all, I’m pretty much obsessed with coconuts and if you take a quick browse through my blog, you’ll probably catch onto this.

When the package arrived, I was actually on my way out the door to Jeff City, so I just took it with. When I got home, I decided I’d saute some kale and figured it would be a great time to test the Kelapo Coconut Oil in a heated state. To my amazement, my mother came by and snatched a bit of the kale from the pan… What I thought would be shear horror, was actually anything but – she liked it! But more importantly, she wanted to know what the amazing flavor was… ‘Ummmm, hello!? How many times have I told you to saute your veggies in coconut oil!’ Any who, that in itself excited me. I mean, here is my mom who has quite the mental block when it comes to certain vegetables (especially, the less common ones) and she not only liked the kale, but wanted to run out and buy the coconut oil!

And that my friends, is what it’s all about – showing people that healthy food can taste great! Sure, I love raw food, but at the end of the day, I just plain love clean food – cooked or no. So, to honor that thought, I came up with this oh-so-simple dish that utilizes the coconut oil to add a burst of clean flavor.

Kelapo Kale and Quinoa Pasta

• 1 box ancient harvest quinoa pasta (love this stuff!)
• 2 C freshly steamed green beans – chopped
• 2 C halved cherry tomatoes
• 1 head 0r 1 bag (thank you TJ’s!) of chopped kale
• handful of freshly chopped basil
• 1 clove crushed garlic
• 3 T Kelapo Coconut Oil
• 2 T red wine vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste

In a large pan, add 1 T of coconut oil + chopped kale + red wine vinegar + garlic, and cook until tender. In a separate pan, cook pasta according to directions – with the quinoa pasta, I normally boil for roughly 7 minutes for an al dente texture. In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients and season with salt and pepper. This will keep for about 3-4 days in the refrigerator.

And voila, the most perfectly clean summer pasta salad.

I do want to note, after using Kelapo’s Coconut Oil a few times this past week, I would most definitely buy it again. To be honest, I’m very picky about my coconut oils – and while I’m not sophisticated enough to explain the downfalls of a few brands I’ve tried in the past, I am elementary enough to say this jar didn’t have those off-putting qualities. Plus, as the Rawxies line grows, I’ll definitely consider using this Kelapo as a potential ingredient.

Thanks again, Jen!

Hope everyone has a wonderful week!

Tagged as: coconut, easy, entree, quick, summer, vegan