Kale and Quinoa Power Salad
You know salad is good for you...now let's make one that fills you up and tastes good too! This salad recipe is full of good-for-you ingredients like kale, quinoa, tomatoes, nuts, and seeds, and is topped with crumbled goat cheese and a homemade maple tahini dressing.
Prep Time15 minutes mins
Cook Time20 minutes mins
Total Time35 minutes mins
Course: Mains
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4 Servings
Calories: 328kcal
- 1 small head curly kale washed, de-stemmed, and torn into bite-sized pieces
- 1-2 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 C dry quinoa I use tri-colored
- ⅓ C pistachios shelled and rough chopped
- ⅓ C pepitas I prefer roasted and salted
- 6 oz cherry tomatoes halved
- 1.5-2 oz goat cheese crumbled
- Maple tahini dressing
- Optional topping idea: pan-seared baked, or grilled salmon fillets ( 4oz fillets for each salad)
Prepare quinoa per package directions
While quinoa is cooking, sauté kale with olive oil, salt and pepper in a large skillet over medium heat. Cover the pan in between tossing/stirring to help the kale steam. Cook until bright green and tender, ~5-8 minutes*
If making the maple tahini dressing fresh, shake all dressing ingredients in a jar to combine while the quinoa and kale cool
In a large bowl, toss quinoa, kale, pistachios, pepitas, and tomatoes to combine. Add in goat cheese & toss lightly. Top with cooked salmon fillet if choosing to add to your salad
Dress, serve, and enjoy!
*In step 2, option to use a kitchen shears to cut the kale into even smaller pieces after cooking if desired to create smaller, enjoyable, bite-sized pieces.
*Cook time noted on this recipe does not include the time to cook salmon if you have selected this optional topping.
*Nutrition Facts do not include dressing as amount added may vary widely. Nutrition calculations also do not include optional additions of salmon or other proteins.
Calories: 328kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 73mg | Potassium: 658mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 5387IU | Vitamin C: 57mg | Calcium: 180mg | Iron: 4mg