Kale and Quinoa Salad Featuring Seasonal Ingredients

This Winter Kale and Quinoa Salad is a colorful, nutritious dish that is filled with taste! Crafted with fresh kale, delicate quinoa, succulent pomegranate seeds, and crunchy walnuts, all mixed with a light dijon vinaigrette, it makes a delightful side for your holiday meals!

You will adore this lively and comforting Winter Kale and Quinoa Salad! During the winter season, I yearn for dishes that feel fresh and nourishing while providing enough heartiness to feel satisfied. This kale salad fulfills ALL the criteria and serves excellently as a refreshing lunch, a nutritious side, or a beautiful centerpiece on your holiday table. The salad is drizzled with a mouthwatering honey dijon vinaigrette that pairs wonderfully with all the flavors!

Reasons to Love This

• Wholesome and satisfying – packed with fiber, plant-based proteins, healthy fats, and antioxidants, making it the ideal nourishing salad that is filling, healthy, and robust. We adore a meal-sized salad!
• Personalizable – easily customize this salad to your liking by selecting your grains, adding more protein, or changing the nuts, cheese, and fruits.
• Ideal for meal prep – prepare the salad components in advance to enjoy throughout the week. Kale withstands dressings well, making this salad perfect for meal prep, and leftovers taste even better the next day!
• Fantastic holiday salad – while this salad is perfect for lunches or as a simple side for dinner, we also enjoy showcasing it on our holiday table due to its vivid colors, which always impresses the family!

Ingredients Required

• kale – provides structure and crunch while adding a nutrient-rich, earthy base. Just be sure to remove the tough stems beforehand. Spinach, arugula, or other leafy greens can also be used.
• quinoa – a hearty and protein-rich base for this dish with a light, fluffy texture that complements all the other textures nicely. A great source of fiber and essential nutrients that help keep you full and satisfied.
• dried cranberries – offer a hint of sweetness and chewiness that balances out the salad’s savory notes. Dried cherries, golden raisins, or chopped dates work as substitutes.
• pomegranate seeds – these seeds bring bursts of sweetness, a juicy crunch, and vibrant hues, making them the star of the salad!
• walnuts – provide rich, buttery crunch, healthy fats, and a subtle nutty flavor. You can also use pecans, almonds, or even create my candied maple walnuts.
• goat cheese – contributes creaminess and tang that beautifully balances the earthy kale and nutty quinoa. Crumbled feta, shaved parmesan, or blue cheese can also be used.
• dressing – a mix of olive oil, apple cider vinegar, dijon mustard, honey (or maple syrup), and salt. Simple yet delightful!

Steps to Prepare Kale and Quinoa Salad

1. Cook the quinoa. Using a mesh strainer, rinse the quinoa thoroughly. Combine 1/2 cup of water with the rinsed quinoa in a small saucepan. Bring it to a boil over medium heat, then cover and lower the heat. Allow the quinoa to simmer for about 13 minutes.
2. Cool the quinoa. Remove from heat, keeping the quinoa covered. Let it sit for roughly 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork. Set aside until you’re ready to combine the salad.
3. Create the dressing. In a small bowl or jar, whisk together olive oil, apple cider vinegar, dijon mustard, honey, salt, and pepper until well combined.
4. Prepare the kale. In a large bowl, place the chopped kale leaves and drizzle with about half the dressing. Massage the kale with your hands or tongs for 1 to 2 minutes, until it softens and darkens in hue.
5. Assemble the salad. Incorporate the quinoa, crumbled cheese, pomegranate seeds, dried cranberries, walnuts, and the remaining dressing, tossing until evenly coated. Adjust seasoning with extra salt and pepper as necessary, and enjoy!

Advice for Making this Salad

• Massage the kale – this step elevates the dish as it softens the leaves, enhances the texture, and diminishes the kale’s bitterness.
• Avoid overcooking quinoa – you desire fluffy quinoa, not mushy grains. Once the water is absorbed, take it off the heat.
• Let quinoa cool somewhat – hot quinoa can wilt the kale and melt the cheese too rapidly, so let it reach room temperature prior to mixing to keep the salad’s texture and freshness intact.
• Add cheese at the end – if using goat cheese or feta, gently fold it in right before serving. This maintains the cheese’s creaminess and avoids it disappearing into the salad.
• Allow to rest before serving – let the salad sit for 10 to 15 minutes after mixing to allow it to absorb all that delicious flavor.

Tips for Customizing this Salad

• Incorporate roasted vegetables – for added heartiness and nutrition, consider adding roasted sweet potatoes, butternut squash, brussels sprouts, or cauliflower.
• Increase protein – for a protein boost, consider adding cooked chicken, shrimp, salmon, or steak. Plant-based alternatives like black beans, lentils, or crispy chickpeas work well too.
• Diverse whole grains – if quinoa isn’t your preference, you can substitute it with brown rice, wild rice, farro, or couscous.
• Switch up the greens – easily replace fresh kale with baby spinach, arugula, or mixed greens.
• Add extra crunch – enhance texture with walnuts, pecans, almonds, sunflower seeds, or even candied nuts for a sweet touch.
• Include seasonal fruit – instead of pomegranate seeds, try incorporating sliced apples, pears, dried cherries, or citrus fruits like oranges or mandarins.

Preparation and Storage Advice

• For Preparation – You can prepare the quinoa and dressing in advance and keep them separate in sealed, airtight containers for up to 5 days in the fridge. This makes this salad fantastic for meal prepping!
• For Storage – After the salad has been mixed, leftovers will stay fresh for 2 to 3 days in a sealed airtight container stored in the refrigerator.

Additional Seasonal Salads

Hope you all appreciate this Winter Kale and Quinoa Salad! If you enjoy this recipe as much as we do, please leave me a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating below and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using the hashtag #eatyourselfskinny!