Kale and Quinoa Salad with a honey-balsamic dressing is a great make-ahead dish to enjoy throughout the week.
Hi friends, how was your Halloween?! I don’t share many family pics, since this is a food blog and all, but I can’t resist but share my cute bunch. I love seeing their costumes come together after weeks of deciding. My 3 year old ended up changing into his Ninja costume last minute, in a typical 3 year old fashion.
The town we lived in switched trick-or-treating to Friday night which ended up working out just fine since because we had nonstop rain, flash food and tornado warnings for most of the morning/day on Saturday. Overall it was a great evening with neighbors!
So since the hubby is working, my parents came to help out. They spoil me with loads of food from Costco and homemade dishes they brought from home, and they’ve been cooking too which is always a treat.
My mom made this kale quinoa salad that we all enjoyed (even my 1 year old) so I had her write up the recipe and here it is!
I love love having salads like this on hand because then you can create such a nice meal from them. For example, we had this and a tabouli salad my dad made…paired with a little cheese which made a delicious lunch.
This reminds me of a salad you’d find in the Whole Foods salad bar and a good salad bar is one of my favorite things.
Want to create your own salad bar salad? Just prepare one or two cold salads like this- maybe a grain and veggie or a bean salad, this one is delicious. Then do some additional meal prep such as cutting veggies, boiling some eggs, cutting some tofu.
When you’re ready to eat (or pack it up for lunch), you can assemble a big bed of greens, with whatever veggies you prepared, top it with some protein- like canned tuna or grilled chicken and/or the hardboiled egg, some hummus or avocado, olives. You get the point. Delicious, healthy and you won’t get tired of eating salad this way!
Salads are welcome this time of year due to all the treats, so if you aren’t currently getting those veggies in, make sure you are having them- at least 3-4 servings a day. A big salad like I described would probably get you 3 servings easily!
[Tweet “Easy Kale and Quinoa Salad, perfect to enjoy for lunches all week! “]
- ~3 cups cooked quinoa (equals 1 cup dry quinoa)
- ~10 cups chopped raw kale, stems removed
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- ¾ cup slivered almonds
- For the dressing:
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 heaping tablespoon of honey
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Mix quinoa, kale, cranberries and almonds in a large bowl. In a separate bowl or jar whisk together dressing ingredients until well combined (make sure honey doesn't stick to the bottom), then pour over quinoa mixture. Taste and adjust for seasoning.
Just as a reference, 1 cup uncooked quinoa makes ~ 3½ cups cooked.
Candy says
Simply, healthy and delislious.
Candy recently posted..Fresh Simple Stir Fry
Melanie says
Thanks Candy, it’s a keeper 😉
Jemma says
Beautiful salad and it also has all my favorite ingredients!
xo
Jemma
Melanie says
Me too! Thanks Jemma
Chelsea says
Looks so delicious!!
Chelsea recently posted..10 Tips to Help You Be Insanely Productive
Melanie says
Thank you Chelsea 🙂
Samara Thiessen says
This looks DELICIOUS! I love healthy alternatives that still taste yummy!!
Samara Thiessen recently posted..Little Black Dress, Dress Boots, and Who Wore it Best
Melanie says
Thanks Samara!
Tiffany says
Can you add frozen chopped Kale( stems removed) or spinach in?
Melanie says
Hi Tiffany, Unfortunately I think the flavor and texture of the frozen greens wouldn’t work in this salad. Better choices for cooked/hot dishes. 😉
Mary says
I love grain salads like this! And your family is adorable!
Mary recently posted..Pisco Sour
Melanie says
Me too Mary, thank you
kristen says
this salad looks amazing!! I love kale salads! Thanks for sharing! Ps your kids are darling!
Melanie says
Thanks Kristen 🙂
Liz @ The Clean Eating Coupole says
This looks delish! Love adding all kinds of things to my quinoa.. so hearty and filling!
Liz @ The Clean Eating Coupole recently posted..Pretty Fit Protein Review
Melanie says
I agree, thanks for visiting Liz!
Maggie Unzueta says
I love that you added cranberries to this salad for some sweetness. Looking forward to trying this recipe.
Maggie Unzueta recently posted..Machaca Con Huevos
Melanie says
Thanks Maggie. I love cranberries in salad
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Yum! Nailed all the classic winter flavors!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine recently posted..Warm Sorghum Salad with Kohlrabi, Apple, & Fennel
Melanie says
Thanks Rebecca- grain + greens are so good
Kam Kay says
What a healthy combo of veggies. I love quinoa, so this will be in my to make recipes. Thanks for sharing! BTW, your kids look so cute!
Kam Kay recently posted..Baked Sweet Potato with Pecan Crumble Topping
Melanie says
Thank you- hope you get a chance to make it!
Tirralan - Tinseltown Mom says
Yes! I am making this healthy salad. This recipe is for me.
Tirralan – Tinseltown Mom recently posted..5 Celebrity Moms Who’ve Attempted Suicide
Melanie says
Great, hope it works out for you 🙂
Angie says
Those look great! I’m a big fan of both Kale and Quinoa!
Angie recently posted..Guest Post | Product Diversion: The Gross Reality
Melanie says
Thank you Angie!
Debbie @ Coach Debbie Runs says
Two of my favorite salad ingredients! It looks delicious!
Debbie @ Coach Debbie Runs recently posted..Chick’n and Veggies Stuffed Avocado with Quinoa
Melanie says
Thanks Debbie!
Alexandra @ My Urban Family says
Yum! I love adding Quinoa to my salads. 🙂 So simple, but so much extra nutrition!
Alexandra @ My Urban Family recently posted..27 Accomplishments for Year 27
Melanie says
Yes! It’s perfect in salads 🙂
Christine @ Love, Life, Surf says
This salad looks amazing and I love how simple it is. And your kids in their costumes! So cute!
Christine @ Love, Life, Surf recently posted..What you need to know about hands-on adjustments in yoga class
Melanie says
Thanks girl- I was lucky to get a photo of them half-way cooperating 😉
Carly @ Fitlivingblog says
YUM! This salad looks so hearty, delicious and easy to make. Pinning for later!
Carly @ Fitlivingblog recently posted..Why I Chose The Institute for Integrative Nutrition + Taking a Big Leap of Faith
Melanie says
Thanks Carly!
rachel @ athletic avocado says
Oh yum! This combines all my favorite flavors into one beautiful salad! I NEED to make this ASAP
rachel @ athletic avocado recently posted..Creamy Sweet Potato Spice Oatmeal with Pecans and Cranberries {GF + Vegan!}
Melanie says
Thank you Rachel!
Heather says
Loved this recipe! Perfect amount of sweet and savory and very filling.
Do you have the nutrition facts or at least an approximation?
Melanie says
Thanks Heather, glad you liked it!! I can calculate next time I make it since there are so few ingredients. Normally I don’t due to the extra time involved. 😉
Candace says
This was a great salad. I added chick peas and walnuts (since I was out of almonds). We love quinoa and kale together and this is a versatile salad!
Julia says
I made this but had to make some adjustments. I didn’t have cranberries, so I subbed chopped up prunes. Didn’t have slivered almonds, so I subbed chopped up salted almonds and I added chopped red onion, because. Everybody had second helpings even my husband who is a meat and potatoes guy. I served it with roasted pork loin and carrots, zucchini and yellow squash sautéed in butter. It was delicious! Keeping this recipe for sure!
Irina says
Hello! Can I use red quinoa? Will the taste be different?
Melanie says
Any quinoa is fine!