This Kale Quinoa salad makes for a tasty lunch dish made with freshly squeezed lemon to make homemade mixed with extra virgin olive oil.
This is seriously a one-plate lunch. But if you want something else to go with it, I’d suggest my grilled honey mustard chicken skewers. They have the perfect amount of tang to compliment this mustard-based salad.
Kale and Quinoa Salad
I recently ate a Kale and Quinoa salad at a restaurant and fell in love with the combination. I put this recipe together based on some recipes online and what they had in the restaurant. It came out so great that my husband actually at it several times over a 2 day period. I think that is a success because he never eats salads that I make.
How to Make a Kale Salad That Tastes Good
Kale is a really difficult vegetable to eat. It’s not one of the most popular ones because it has such a distinct and almost bitter flavor.
So when I set out to create this salad, I knew I had to make a salad dressing with enough kick to overpower the kale.
I am happy to say that I did it! This salad is perfect for vegans too – just omit the cheese.
Quinoa for Protein
I added quinoa to the salad because it is a grain with a lot of protein. So vegans can enjoy this! Plus, the texture of the quinoa with the kale is unforgettable. It’s what sets this salad apart from all others.
Kale and Quinoa Salad Ingredients
This doesn’t have very many ingredients, so it’s super easy to make.
- Quinoa
- Water
- Kale
- Olive Oil
- Lemon Juice
- Dijon Mustard
- Garlic
- Pepper
- Pecans
- Craisins
- Gorgonzola Cheese
That’s it! You can serve this salad for yourself any day of the week. Or, separate it into individual mason jars for easy portable meal prep for the week ahead.
This also makes a really beautiful dish to take to cookouts with family and friends.
Kale Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups Quinoa
- 1 Cups of Water
- 2 cups Kale
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 4 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
- 1 Teaspoon Dijon Mustard
- 1 Garlic minced
- 1/4 Teaspoon Pepper Cracked
- 1/4 Cup Pecans
- 1/4 Cup Craisins
- 1/2 Cup Gorgonzola Cheese
Instructions
- Follow the directions on the quinoa package cooking the entire contents.
- After the quinoa cooks, let it cool completely with the lid off the sauce pan.
- In a small bowl whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon Mustard, minced garlic, pepper, sea salt, until oil emulsifies aka gets cloudy.
- Drizzle the mixture over the Kale in the large mixing bowl.
- Toss into the mixture quinoa, pecans, craisins, and Gorgonzola cheese.
More Amazing Salad Recipes
There is something so scrumptious about a perfectly-made salad. Here are some more of my other favorite salad recipes.
I love anything with quinoa in it. What a great idea