This Kale and Quinoa Salad is a really tasty salad that just happens to star two super foods – kale and quinoa. Fresh herbs, crushed nuts and feta plus a beautiful lemon dressing makes this Kale Salad so tasty, it’s scrumptious enough to have as meal or as a side dish.
The secret to making raw kale really tasty is to massage it with olive oil and salt. This tenderises the kale, and makes raw kale salads really delicious!
Kale and Quinoa Salad
Just 3 hours ago, I force fed a giant spoonful of this to a kale/quinoa cynic, and watched with glee as the scrunched up face of “I hate kale – AND QUINOA!” turned into a surprised look of “this is seriously tasty!”
Yes. This is a kale salad that even kale haters will enjoy. It’s that good!
The secret to make raw kale tasty – tenderise it by rubbing with olive oil and salt!
10 years ago when I watched Lidia Bastiniach make a kale and bean stew, I had to search wide and far to find kale. 5 years ago, kale become “all the rage”, and I refused to pay the ridiculous prices for it. Australia even had a kale shortage!!!
Nowadays, kale is actually very good value – usually $2 a bunch from Harris Farms which is where I shop for most of my fruit & veg. And it’s a giant bunch. A giant bunch of hardy, tough leaves that aren’t that pleasant to eat without doing “something” to it.
Enter – your new favourite way to prepare kale leaves to eat raw. Tenderise it. Wash it, chop it, scrunch it with oil, salt & pepper (lemon or vinegar is also nice), leave for 30 minutes. It tenderises the leaves, making it tasty enough to even eat plain.
What goes in this Kale Salad
Even when kale has been marinated, it does have a stronger flavour than most leafy greens. So what I like to do is add plenty of other fresh flavours and textures. So here’s what goes in this kale salad:
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Raw kale – chopped and marinated in olive oil
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Fresh herbs – dill and coriander/cilantro is my favourite mix. Both are beautifully fragrant, so they add great flavour to temper the otherwise rather dominant flavour of kale.
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Almonds – or other nuts, for texture and flavour
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Quinoa – to fill it out, add texture and nutty flavour
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Red onion – for freshness
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Feta – salty little pops of creamy feta is always a welcome addition to salads!
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Lemon dressing – it’s fresh and zesty, and I love that this lemon dressing really tastes of lemon rather than just being sour (the secret is the zest! Lemon zest rocks!)
Toss all this together, and voila! You have an incredible kale salad that even the greatest of kale cynics will enjoy!
This kale salad will keep in the fridge for 3 days – so it’s great for work lunches and as a standby side!
I added quinoa into this, because this is a salad that was born post my recent trips to Japan and New Zealand, after which I was peeved but not surprised to see that my jeans were still as snug as they were pre-trip. Skiing in Japan, trekking and biking in New Zealand – Mr Scales! WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT FROM ME! (OK, holiday feasting and Japanese sake / fabulous NZ wine sampling did not help).
So I filled this salad out with quinoa to make it filling enough to be a meal in itself. Which, incidentally, is a great tip to make a veg + filling fibre rich side for meals.
It seems appropriate to share this Kale and Quinoa Salad post Easter. Detoxing after a long weekend of consistent feasting – especially if the Easter Bunny dropped by your place and left you with a load of irresistibly colourful, shiny foil wrapped eggs calling your name. 😩
Try this Kale and Quinoa Salad as a side for your next dinner (eg. slightly burnt chicken schnitzel, as pictured below – fried food = less guilt with kale on the side). It will pair with anything, from these great quick Baked Chicken Breasts to crispy Garlic Chicken Thighs, to Baked Pork Chops or marinated Pork Chops.
Or have it as a light meal as it is because in all honesty, a bowl of this will keep you satisfied for longer because that’s one of the magic characteristics of quinoa. 🙂 (Quinoa has grown on me so much I’ve made another salad since: Asian-style Quinoa Salad!) Or try tossing through some shredded chicken or sliced perfectly poached chicken, or even a can of tuna (I steal it from Dozer). – Nagi x
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
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Kale and Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
Marinated Kale:
- 8 cups (packed) kale leaves (Note 1)
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper
Quinoa:
- 1 cup quinoa, any colour
- 2 cups water
Dressing:
- Zest of 1 large lemon
- 2 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard (or American)
- 1 garlic clove , minced
- 1 tsp sugar (optional, I add it)
- 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
Salad:
- 1/4 cup dill leaves , roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup coriander/cilantro leaves , roughly chopped
- 1 red onion , quartered and finely sliced (optional)
- 1/3 - 1/2 cup chopped roasted almonds
- 100 g/3.5oz crumbled feta
Instructions
Marinated Kale:
- Scrunch up the kale leaves then slice to about 1cm / 2/5" thickness.
- Transfer to large bowl.
- Drizzle over oil, scatter with salt and pepper. Use your hands to scrunch the kale leaves for 1 minute (see video). It should shrink to about half the size.
- Set aside for 30 minutes. The leaves will soften, making them suitable for eating raw.
Quinoa:
- Place quinoa in a fine mesh colander, then rinse under running water for 30 seconds. Drain excess water well. (Or do this in a big bowl)
- Place in a saucepan with water. Cover with lid, bring to simmer over medium heat then leave for 12 - 15 minutes until all water is absorbed.
- Remove from heat, leave lid on, and rest for 5 - 10 minutes. Fluff with fork then cool (spread on tray and refrigerate to speed up).
Dressing:
- Place ingredients in a jar, screw lid on and shake well. Set aside for 10 minutes.
Salad:
- Add the quinoa into the bowl with the kale. Add all the dill and coriander/cilantro, half the nuts, feta, and 2/3 of dressing.
- Toss well.
- Transfer into serving platter or bowls. Drizzle with remaining dressing, garnish with remaining feta and nuts.
- See Note 3 for serving suggestions - I've been having this as a meal, just plain.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
LIFE OF DOZER
Kale and Quinoa Salad tastiness EVIDENCE:
Laura Ling says
I stir-fry Kale with garlic, add on some medlar seeds, and sprinkle a dash of pepper and salt. Tastes good!
Nagi says
Yuuuum!!! N xx
Allison Robinson says
Hi Nagi,
I always trust your recipes for trying something new on my family of boys who don’t like leafy stuff in their plate. And guess what…. it worked.
They caught me preparing the kale and started pulling faces. I said don’t worry it’s a Nagi recipe. And it worked. They all ate it with some stir fry chicken with Charlie, another big hit.
Thank you
Nagi says
BIGGEST COMPLIMENT EVER FOR A KALE SALAD!!!!!! 😇 N x
Colleen says
Another winner! Made this yesterday for lunch & husband (who reckons he’s not a fan of kale) asked for seconds!
Seriously grateful to have found this website- love your recipes 🙂
Nagi says
YES YES YES!!!!! I am so thrilled he enjoyed this!! N xx
Mary Tuerk says
Please help me out. looks great but I am dieting. How much is one serving? I need to cut out roughly 150 calories.
Nagi says
Hi Mary! One serving is a generous bowl, about 3 cups. So if you make this recipe serve 4, you’ll reduce the calories per serving by 190 calories! N x
Naomi says
This looks sort of like a kale salad that we like that you can buy in the grocery store. It seems to be so popular that it is now hard to find. The salad is called “Kale Yeah”. It has a spicy citrus dressing with sunflower seeds and dried cranberries. Delicious! I can’t wait to try your version of kale salad. It looks delicious!
I’m surprised that Dozer doesn’t like kale. I have a friend back in AZ that has 2 German Shepherds. Those dogs LOVE kale! Just hand them each a stalk of kale and they gobble it right up and want more. I guess I thought all dogs loved kale after seeing how much those German Shepherd loved it.
Janet says
Hi Nagi. Dozer is changing into a ” No Off Button for Food ” Labrador Retriever!
Another trick with kale I learnt in New York is to eat BABY kale. The leaves are more fragile and less strongly flavoured. At present I ham growing my own but I bet Harris Farm would start to source it if people requested the product. I remember trying to purchase blood oranges after our honeymoon 40 ( eek!) . It was some decades later. I learnt Harris Farm were so keen they bought entire orchards of blood oranges and at one stage were the only retail source. Well done Harris Farm!
Nagi says
Baby kale! I don’t think I’ve come across that before. I’m going to my local markets tomorrow, I will keep an eye out! PS Dozer has never had an Off button when it comes to food! 😂
Nagi says
Bet those German Shepherds have beautiful, shiny coats…..😂
kirti singh says
The picture shows how alluring this salad is. It would be great to have this with dinner or lunch. I love this kind of recipes. Specially when somebody comes to my place i make this kind of recipes.
Nagi says
I literally just had this for dinner again yesterday…. and about to make another big batch today to keep on hand for the rest of the week! N xx
Eha says
Well, this version of super-‘fashionable’ will go on top of the kitchen recipe pile! I would happily eat this as a main meal . . . Have never put dill or almonds into my versions and do like the dressing! Hmm: wonder what led Dozer to lip-smacking – somehow do believe that a protein was the ‘culprit’ in question 🙂 !!!
Nagi says
😂 You know him too well!!! Might have had some schnitzel on the side, just out of the frame….
Elena says
Something I was waiting for.Thank you very much!
Nagi says
So glad you hear that Elena! Hope you give it a go 🙂 N x
Leah says
Awwwww….did you share some with him? It looks like he’s just dyin’ for a taste! 🙂
Great salad! I love how well it keeps so you can take it to work for a week!
Nagi says
I did…. and he rejected it. 🙄
Wanda says
This looks like the Costco quinoa salad we have in Canada. Can’t wait to make it!!
Made your smashed potatoes last night! Delicious!!
Nagi says
Ooooh! I’m OBSESSED with those smashed potatoes!