Kale and Quinoa Salad with Pumpkin Seeds

With a tangy lemon dressing and crunchy pumpkin seeds, this kale and quinoa salad makes a great main course. You can also serve it as a side dish. Both kale and quinoa are nutritional powerhouse foods making this salad a healthy choice any day of the year.

How to make Kale and Quinoa Salad:

• Cook the quinoa. You can use white quinoa or red quinoa or tri-color rainbow quinoa, your choice. Because quinoa cooks in less than 30 minutes, it’s a handy “psuedograin” keep in your pantry.
• Whisk up a simple vinaigrette with lemon juice and olive oil.
• Prep the kale. Strip the leaves from the stems and chop into 1-inch pieces.
• Massage your kale! Massage the kale with your hands to break down the fiber, making it more pleasant to eat. The massage also gives the kale a brighter emerald color. And massaging helps the kale absorb the oil and lemon juice dressing.
• Mix cooled quinoa and kale in the bowl. Add the green onions, cilantro, and pumpkin seeds. 
• Toss everything with the lemon vinaigrette.
• Serve right away or refrigerate to serve up to 3 days later.

What’s so good about quinoa?

• For one, quinoa (KEEN-wah) is gluten-free. Many people put it in the grain category. However, quinoa is actually a seed. It comes from a plant that has been growing in South America since ancient times.
• It’s an excellent plant-based source of protein—1 cup of cooked quinoa provides about 8 grams protein.
• Quinoa is a good source of minerals, like copper, iron, magnesium, zinc and more.
• Quinoa is high in beneficial plant compounds, especially flavonoid antioxidants.
• Another benefit of quinoa is its high fiber content. Quinoa also provides some resistant starch, which feeds the beneficial bacteria in your gut.

What’s so good about kale?

• Kale is a cruciferous vegetable, a cousin of cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower. Typically kale has large leaves, with either flat or curly edges.
• Kale, like all leafy greens, is low in calories and high in fiber and protein. A cup of raw kale comes with 2 grams of protein. It includes all 9 essential amino acids, which is rare in vegetables.
• Green and leafy kale shines with excellent qualifications in the vitamin and mineral departments. It’s full of nutrients that support bone health. It also supports a healthy immune system.

Pumpkin seeds are good for us too!

Pumpkin seeds are rich in protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and polyunsaturated fats. 

• Pumpkin seeds have 5.3 grams of protein per ounce.
• They’re a good source of anti-inflammatory and cancer fighting minerals and vitamins.

All that nutrition and delicious taste–Be sure to mind your Ks and Qs with this kale and quinoa salad!

More recipes with kale and quinoa:

• A crustless quiche with rainbow quinoa. Make it with leftover quinoa and whatever veggies you have on hand.
• How about this green lentil and quinoa salad? Yum!
• You will think you died and went to heaven with this EASY kale risotto.
• This superfood kale salad is also loaded with nutrition including goji berries and hemp hearts.
• This Quinoa and Parsley Tabbouleh is a winner!
• You also want to try this Outstanding Kale Salad with Sunflower Seed Pesto and Apricots.

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Kale and Quinoa Salad

This healthy salad can be varied in myriad ways using vegetables and grains of your choice. Makes 8 to 10 servings, depending on what you put in your salad.

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Keyword kale, quinoa

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 8 servings.

Calories 231kcal

Author Letty | @lettyskitchen

Ingredients

• 1 cup tri-color or regular quinoa
• ½ teaspoon plus 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 ½ cups water
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ⅓ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice , or rice vinegar
• 1 clove garlic , minced
• Large pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 bunch curly kale , washed
• 4 each green onions , chopped
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro or flat-leaf parsley
• ½ cup toasted pumpkin seeds

Instructions

• Rinse the quinoa. In a saucepan, bring the water and ½ teaspoon of the salt to a boil. Add the quinoa, reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes.
• Let stand and allow to cool 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and set aside.
• Make a dressing with the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, remaining salt and cayenne. Set aside.
• Strip and discard the stems from the kale—them chop into ¼-inch by 1-inch strips. Sprinkle a pinch of salt over the kale and massage the leaves with your hands, until the leaves are darker and have reduced in volume by about one-third.
• Add the cooled quinoa to the bowl. Add the green onions, cilantro, and pumpkin seeds. 
• Pour the vinaigrette on top and toss everything together. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
• Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate. This salad keeps well, chilled, for several days.

Notes

• Vary this salad according to what you have on hand. Start with 2 cups of any cooked grain. Add your personal mix of crunchy and leafy vegetables, including a flavorful allium, like garlic scapes, green onions, or chopped chives. Dress with a simple olive oil and vinegar dressing.

Nutrition

Calories: 231kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 157mg | Potassium: 256mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1791IU | Vitamin C: 26mg | Calcium: 42mg | Iron: 2mg

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