Delicious salad made using kale & quinoa – both super foods – plus a yummy dressing, craisins and feta cheese. Hearty and gluten free!
Raise your hand if you like quinoa and kale!! I DO, I DO!!!
Quinoa is my old standby and kale is my new favorite. 🙂
Both kale and quinoa are considered super foods. Basically meaning that they are minimally processed and have tons of disease-fighting nutrients, protein and fiber to fill you up. Putting these two bad boys together in this salad is like a double whammy. And boy, does it taste good!
My husband and my older boys LOVED it! The dressing has such a great flavor while the pecans bring a nice crunch. Adding in cranberries gives it sweetness and the feta adds some nice texture and flavor. I can’t wait to make this again! If you like quinoa and/or kale, you will love this salad!!
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup quinoa rinsed if necessary
- about 2 cups chopped kale less or more to taste
- 3 Tbsp. olive oil
- 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
- 1 large garlic clove minced
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
Instructions
- Bring water to boil in a medium-sized pan. Stir quinoa into boiling water. Reduce heat to medium-low, place lid on pan and cook until water absorbs into quinoa, about 12 minutes.
- When the water is absorbed, remove the pan from the heat and let rest, covered, for 5 minutes. Remove cover and allow quinoa to cool completely.
- Place kale in a large mixing bowl. Whisk olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, garlic, pepper and salt together in a small bowl. Drizzle over kale. Stir and let sit for a few minutes. Add cooled quinoa, pecans, dried cranberries and feta cheese and toss to incorporate. ENJOY!!
Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @JenNikolaus or tag #YummyHealthyEasy!
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that looks so lovely! I grew kale in my garden last summer and had such an abundance I thought I had seen every recipe…but didn’t see this one…
new follower
YummY! Jen, this looks and sounds great! I’ve actually never had kale, kinda freaks me out. But this recipe makes it very approachable. Great recipe… pinning. 🙂
Krista @ joyfulhealthyeats
Looks and sounds delicious. Thank you for joining Foodie Friends Friday! Please come back next week! Lois from Walking on Sunshine
yummy!! I am a salad lover…This one looks amazing! I’m sharing it tomorrow at this weeks Tasteful Tuesday party…Come on over and check it out… hope you can link up again this week :o) Oh and grab a featured button while you are over! Link will go live Monday evening at 8:30 central time…
http://www.nap-timecreations.com/2013/04/salads-and-tasteful-tuesday-party.html
yummy!! I am a salad lover…This one looks amazing! I’m sharing it
tomorrow at this weeks Tasteful Tuesday party…Come on over and check it
out… hope you can link up again this week ) Oh and grab a featured button while you are over! Link will go live Monday evening at 8:30 central time…
http://www.nap-timecreations.com/2013/04/salads-and-tasteful-tuesday-party.html
Love all the flavors in this. Something for everyone – salty, sweet, crunchy. Thanks for sharing on Thursdays Treasures.
Sounds so yummy!
I would love for you to link up this – and your other salad recipes – at the Empty Your Archive link party. We have a special focus this week on salads, Alice @ Mums Make Lists x<
Looked yummy! Thanks for joining us at Saturday
Dishes, Pinned to Saturday Dishes board ~ Paula
Looks wonderful! I love kale. Thanks for sharing on Foodie Friends Friday!
Very glad to have found and tried this recipe! Delicious!
Thank you so much!!