This Kale Salad with Quinoa is nutty and sweet with the most amazing crunchy texture. Packed with fiber and protein, it's a healthy entree or side dish.
Whether you serve this Kale Salad with Quinoa as a side dish or the main course, you're going to wow your friends and family with this scrumptious salad. It has so many great textures, from the juicy apples to the crunchy nuts, to the tender kale leaves. And the flavors are great, too, with the sweet and salty mixing with the nutty-tasting walnuts and hemp heart.
This salad can work with lots of other dishes, so it's great to have in your repertoire. Made with fresh ingredients, this healthy salad has protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals aplenty. With the homemade dressing adding sweet, tangy notes, even kids will be drawn to the flavors of this dish. Let's look more closely at what you'll need to make this Kale Salad with Quinoa.
Video Tutorial
Main Ingredients
- Kale. You can use curly or Lacinato kale here.
- Quinoa. Multicolored or regular is fine. If you like, you can add a touch of turmeric when you cook the quinoa so that it looks yellow like mine.
- Apples. Any kind is fine. I like using Gala, Honeycrisp, or Fuji apples.
- Walnuts. Toast the walnuts so that they have more flavor. It really makes a difference. Toasted almonds work, too.
- Hemp Hearts. This adds a nice nutty flavor and some extra nutrients. You can skip it though.
- Sea Salt. This will be massaged into the kale to soften it.
- Dressing. This is made with olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, maple syrup, garlic, salt, and black pepper.
How to Make Kale Salad with Quinoa
1. Take off the stalks on the kale and discard them. Roll the kale into a bunch and then slice the leaves into strips.
2. Put the kale pieces into a large mixing bowl and add the salt. Now massage it with your hands for a few minutes. Set aside.
3. In a small jar, shake the olive oil, maple syrup, mustard, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and black pepper. This will be your dressing.
4. Now add the sliced apples, toasted walnuts, cooked quinoa, and hemp hearts to the bowl with the kale. Pour the dressing on top and mix everything together well. Serve.
Tips for the best Kale Salad with Quinoa
- Discard the stalks of the kale. For the best texture and flavor, get rid of the kale stalks. They are bitter and quite tough, so they won't add anything good to the salad.
- Massage the kale with salt. This step is really important because kale on its own can be fibrous and tough. The salt tenderizes the leaves, making them more tender and digestible.
- Cut the apples last. When you're prepping the ingredients, cut the apples right before you add them to the salad. They brown quickly so this will keep them crisp and the flesh white.
- Use a homemade dressing. This dressing or even another will be best when homemade. Store-bought dressing just isn't as flavorful as one made at home with fresh ingredients. Nor is it as healthy.
Variations to this Recipe
- Substitute another fruit. Besides apples, you can also make this with blueberries, strawberries, pears, and mangos. This salad is so versatile.
- Add other toppings. You can add raisins or dried cranberries, cucumbers, carrots, radishes, or avocados. Just cut everything to a uniform size.
- Substitute other nuts. Instead of walnuts, you can use toasted almonds, pine nuts, pecans, or cashews. Make sure you toast them to get that extra layer of flavor.
- Use other dressings. I love this tangy and sweet homemade dressing, but you can use others instead if you prefer. Try this No Oil Balsamic Salad Dressing or Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing.
How to Store it
Store this Kale Salad with Quinoa in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It can last up to 3 days because the kale is so hearty. Keep in mind that the apples will become mushy though, so try to eat it the day you make it.
What to Serve this with
- Soup. Pair this salad with a bowl of Turkey Cabbage Soup, Chicken Stew, Creamy Tortellini Soup, or Hearty Beef Barley Soup.
- Proteins. Make it your side dish alongside a main course, like this Spinach Stuffed Flounder, Chicken Snap Pea Stir-Fry, or Easy Sausage Meatballs.
- Pasta. Serve this Kale Salad with Quinoa with a plate of Spaghetti with Olive Oil and Garlic, Salmon Feta Pasta, or Creamy Pasta with Prosciutto.
- Sanwiches or Wraps. Make this the side to a sandwich, wrap, or taco. Try it with this Beef Sandwich on Naan Bread, Chickpea Carrot Salad Sandwich, Potato Taco, or Easy Hummus Wrap.
This Kale Salad with Quinoa is crunchy, sweet, and nutty. You'll wow your guests with this amazing salad that has it all.
More tasty salad recipes:
Kale Salad with Quinoa
Ingredients
- 4 oz. kale
- ½ tsp. sea salt
- 1 medium semi-sweet apple, diced
- 1 cup cooked quinoa (heaping ¼ cup of uncooked)
- ½ cup toasted walnuts
- ¼ cup hemp hearts
For the Dressing
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 tbsp. maple syrup
- 1 tsp. mustard
- 1 medium garlic clove, minced
- ¼ tsp. sea salt
- ¼ tsp. pepper
Instructions
- Take off the stalks on the kale and discard them. Roll the kale into a bunch and then slice the leaves into strips.
- Put the kale pieces into a large mixing bowl and add the salt. Now massage it with your hands for a few minutes. Set aside.
- In a small jar, shake the olive oil, maple syrup, mustard, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and black pepper. This will be your dressing.
- Now add the sliced apples, toasted walnuts, cooked quinoa, and hemp hearts to the bowl with the kale. Pour the dressing on top and mix everything together well. Serve.
Notes
Variations to this Recipe
- Substitute another fruit. Besides apples, you can also make this with blueberries, strawberries, pears, and mangos. This salad is so versatile.
- Add other toppings. You can add raisins or dried cranberries, cucumbers, carrots, radishes, or avocados. Just cut everything to a uniform size.
- Substitute other nuts. Instead of walnuts, you can use toasted almonds, pine nuts, pecans, or cashews. Make sure you toast them to get that extra layer of flavor.
- Use other dressings. I love this tangy and sweet homemade dressing, but you can use others instead if you prefer. Try this No Oil Balsamic Salad Dressing or Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing.
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