Name: Kale Quinoa Salad
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 cup quinoa, dry; 2 cup kale, chopped; 15 ounce can of chickpeas, drained & rinsed; 1/2 medium red onion, diced; 1 medium red bell pepper, deseeded & diced; 1 cup sliced almond; 1/2 cup olive oil; 2 lemon, squeezed; 2 tablespoon honey; 2 clove garlic, grated; 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon black pepper

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Kale quinoa salad is a combo of super foods paired with a ton of flavor from a tasty dressing and other great whole food ingredients.

Kale quinoa salad is equally tasty but filling thanks to combining quinoa with the kale.

Making things better you can make this recipe in 30 minutes. The only cooked ingredient is the quinoa and that only takes 20 minutes to make.

Sliced almonds, red bell pepper for a little spice and a flavorful dressing with lemon, garlic and a touch of honey.

There are a few tricks to it so let’s get to it. Keep reading!

How To Make Kale Quinoa Salad

Make sure you have these ingredients first

Kale
Quinoa
Chickpeas/ garbanzo beans
Red onion
Sliced almonds
Red bell pepper
Olive oil
Lemon
Garlic
Honey
Salt & black pepper
Apple cider vinegar

Quick tips to avoid mistakes

Slightly heat the lemon juice to help dissolve the honey in the dressing. About 10-15 seconds in the microwave is enough.
Prep the kale first. You will have to “crunch” the kale with olive oil and salt. Allow it to sit while the quinoa is cooking. For 2 cups of kale you will need about 2-3 tablespoon of oil with 2 teaspoons of salt. The kale is raw but this will tenderize it, as you can see in the photos.
This is a great salad to make ahead and use for a meal prep. There are several serving in it.
Wash the quinoa before cooking. Some quinoa says that it has been washed already, ignore it. Wash the quinoa even if it says it’s been washed already.

Making the kale and quinoa salad

To start, tenderize the kale first. Chop up the kale into smaller pieces then drizzle with salt and olive oil. Next, take your hand and crunch the kale and giving a light massage to it. Not so rough you tear the pieces. After, allow the kale to sit while you prepare everything else.
Now, prepare the quinoa according to the package.
While quinoa is cooking and kale is tenderizing prep everything else.
For the dressing, squeeze 2 lemons into a bowl then add in honey. Microwave about 10-15 seconds then stir until the honey has dissolved.
Next, add in oil, grate a clove of garlic and add in apple cider vinegar with salt and pepper. Give everything a mix then sat aside.
Now, you want to dice the red bell pepper removing the stems and seeds. Also, dice the red onion.
Once quinoa has cooked, add the kale and quinoa together in a large bowl.
Then, add in chopped bell pepper, diced onion, drained and rinsed chickpeas, sliced almonds and pour dressing over the top.
Give everything an even toss. The heavier ingredients will want to settle to the bottom. Make note of this before serving. Now, taste for salt and pepper then serve.

You have leftovers now what

This is a great meal prep salad for a few days and it can be made ahead of time. In a sealed or covered container the salad will last about 4 days. Honey is a natural preservative and it adds a nice sweet flavor to the dressing in the kale quinoa salad.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What’s the best quinoa to use?

White quinoa is used in this kale quinoa salad recipe for a lighter flavor. This gives it the chance to work with the other ingredients.

How many calories in kale quinoa salad?

You will get about 6 servings in this kale quinoa salad. Each serving is around 354 calories according to Cronometer.

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