Protein-rich quinoa meets vitamin-packed kale. Both are flavored by a bold, creamy mustard dressing with sweet, tangy, and citrusy notes. Kale quinoa salad is excellent for a quick lunch or a healthy dinner. It keeps well for several days and is suitable for meal prep. If you follow our blog, you might remember our quinoa chickpea salad, Mediterranean quinoa lentil salad, juicy black bean mango salad with quinoa, and black bean quinoa salad. In this blog post, we show you how to combine this nutritious superfood with tender kale leaves, crunchy almonds, and protein-rich edamame beans (you can substitute chickpeas for edamame if you prefer). We think you’ll love how healthy and tasty this salad is!
Kale, Lemon, and Salt
You can use dinosaur kale, Tuscan kale, curly kale, red kale, or cavolo nero. You can buy whole kale leaves at the store (we’ll show you how to prep them below) or pre-chopped kale. The kale is massaged with lemon juice and salt before being used for the salad. We’ll show you how to do that, too.
Quinoa
Feel free to use whatever quinoa you have at hand. We use white quinoa, but red, black, or tri-color quinoa also works. Substitute whole grain rice, buckwheat, amaranth, millet, barley, farro, or any other whole grain for the quinoa.
Edamame beans
Edamame beans are legumes (immature soybeans) and are healthy, nutritious, and an excellent source of protein. You’ll find edamame beans in the frozen food section of most supermarkets. Substitute chickpeas or black beans for edamame beans.
Almonds
Chopped-up toasted almonds taste good with kale, and we think they are delicious in this salad. Substitute mixed seeds, chopped walnuts, or pecans for almonds.
Scallion
Scallions, green onions, or spring onions add a mild tangy flavor. You can substitute shallots or red onion for scallions.
Dill
Fresh dill is for flavor and aroma. Substitute chives or parsley for dill.
Feta cheese
Feta cheese adds a lovely, savory, and tangy flavor to the salad. For vegans, substitute non-dairy feta for regular feta.
Dressing
We use a simple and effective mustard dressing with:
Extra virgin olive oil: substitute regular olive oil. Lemon juice: substitute apple cider vinegar. Mustard: you can use yellow or Dijon mustard. Maple syrup: substitute honey. Sea salt or kosher salt. Black pepper Dried dill: substitute dried oregano.
METHOD 1 (cook it like pasta): Bring a pot with plenty of water (about 4 cups) to a boil. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1 cup of quinoa. Boil for 10 to 12 minutes. Taste it to check for doneness. It should be cooked but with a slight bite, not mushy. Drain the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer, shake off excess water, and let it cool down over the pot in the strainer. Set aside. METHOD 2: Simmer 1 cup of quinoa in 1 and 1/2 cups of boiling water on medium heat until the water is absorbed – about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Prepare the kale
Separate the kale leaves from the stems by holding the stem firmly with one hand and pulling the leaves away with the other. Discard the stems. Rinse the leaves, shake the water away, then chop them into small pieces. Add the chopped kale to a large mixing bowl; add the juice of half a lemon and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Massage—pinch—the kale with your fingertips to soften its texture. Do so for about one minute, then set aside and prep the other ingredients. Massaging raw kale is essential. It makes the kale softer, more flavorful, and more digestible.
Other ingredients
EDAMAME: Boil the frozen edamame in a small pot with water for 5 minutes. ALMONDS: Toast the almonds on a pan for a few minutes, then chop them into pieces. HERBS: Thinly slice the scallions and finely chop the dill. DRESSING: Whisk together extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, maple syrup, dried dill, salt, and black pepper. Alternatively, add ingredients to a small jar, close it, and shake until combined. Add kale, quinoa, edamame beans, almonds, scallions, dill, feta, and the dressing to a large mixing bowl. Mix well, then set aside 15 minutes to one hour before serving.
Serving Suggestions
You can serve kale quinoa salad as a main course for a quick lunch, healthy dinner, or lunchbox meal. We love it next to a creamy soup like kabocha squash soup, sweet potato soup, potato leek soup, or carrot ginger soup. You can also serve it as a side dish for potlucks, barbecues, and picnics. It’s great next to anything grilled, from veggies to fish to meats and cheeses. Refrigerator: Keep leftover salad in an airtight container for four days. Freezer: this is not a freezer-friendly recipe.
More Salad Recipes
WITH LEAFY GREENS & CRUCIFEROUS: creamy broccoli salad, kale salad, broccoli cauliflower salad, arugula salad. WITH LEGUMES: chickpea salad, black bean salad, white bean salad, Mediterranean salad, lentil salad. For even more salad ideas, check out our compilation of 45 best salad recipes.
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