Quinoa Kale Salad
The perfect blend of quinoa and kale with crunchy pumpkin seeds in an apple cider vinaigrette. A great salad for Thanksgiving and holidays, as well as for lunches or meal prep! Makes 4 large servings or 6 smaller servings.
Servings: 6 people
Ingredients
Kale Salad
- 7-8 cups curly kale washed and de-stemmed, then roughly chopped
- 1 cup tri-color quinoa rinsed and cooked
- 1 cup vegetable or chicken broth
- ⅓ cup roasted, unsalted pumpkin seeds
- 1 cup apples, chopped honeycrisp or cosmic crisp recommended
- ¼ cup dried cranberries or pomegranate seeds
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
- Optional: 1 cup roasted chickpeas
Apple Cider Dressing
- 2 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 ½ teaspoons smooth djion mustard
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Prepare the quinoa - In a medium pot with a lid, add 1 cup of water and 1 cup of broth to 1 cup of rinsed quinoa. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, then turn heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the quinoa has absorbed all the liquid. Measure out one heaping cup of cooked quinoa (you may be left with more that you can store for another meal). Season with ½ teaspoon kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the apple cider vinegar, dijon, honey, and garlic. Slowly drizzle in ¼ cup of olive oil as you whisk to combine. Season with kosher salt and black pepper.
- In a large bowl, combine the kale, cooked quinoa, toasted pumpkin seeds, apples, pomegranate seeds (or cranberries), crumbled feta cheese, and roasted chickpeas if using. Toss with the dressing till well combined. Allow the salad to sit and the flavors to infuse for about 15 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Pomegranate seeds or dried cranberries? I like to use cranberries for Thanksgiving and pomegranate for Christmas. You can make this during the summer months with fresh blueberries!
- Kale - I like curly kale for this recipe, but lacinato (dino kale) also works great!
- Storage - This keeps well in the fridge at least 1-2 days, even with dressing added! Keep them separate if you'd like to store for longer.
- Chickpeas - Crispy chickpeas are completely optional, but I like to use Biena as a shortcut.
- Dairy free - Omit the feta or use a dairy-free alternative.
- HYH diet - Omit feta and use goat cheese, or leave the cheese out entirely. I like to use a combination of distilled white vinegar with 2 teaspoons of apple cider to maintain the flavor profile for the dressing!
Nutrition
Calories: 267kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.002g | Cholesterol: 7mg | Sodium: 321mg | Potassium: 321mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 2464IU | Vitamin C: 25mg | Calcium: 81mg | Iron: 2mg
