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A delicious berry, quinoa, and kale salad perfect for healthier eating goals!

Berry, quinoa, and kale salad in a white bowl with a metal spoon on a black and white striped cloth

Hi everyone! Chelsea from Chelsea’s Messy Apron with a healthy salad to finish up the month of healthy eating ๐Ÿ™‚ If you set the resolution to eat healthier this year and you’ve made it to the end of January with doing so, then a huge congrats to you!

My resolution of healthy eating did not last as long as I was hoping, but I will say this salad extended that resolution further than previous years ๐Ÿ˜‰

Berry, quinoa, and kale salad in a white bowl with strawberries on top and dressing being poured.

How do you make a kale and quinoa salad?

  • You start by preparing the kale. Ever wondered how to make kale taste 100x better?ย By massagingย it.ย It takes a little extra effort but it is well worth it.
  • First youโ€™ll remove those big stems and then youโ€™ll very, very thinly slice (ribbon) the kale. The smaller the shreds of kale, the better!ย Once itโ€™s all thinly sliced throw it in a colander and wash it.Youโ€™ll top the kale with about 1 teaspoon of coarse sea salt and a few squeezes of fresh lemon (optional on the lemon, not on the salt) and then you literally rub and massage the kale.
  • And while you are massaging that kale, the quinoa can be cooking and then you can quickly prep the other ingredients and prepare to be blown away by how something soย healthy can taste this good!
  • As far as salad toppings for this kale and quinoa salad, Iโ€™ve grabbed my favoriteย berries and fruitย for this one. The kale and quinoa pairs incredibly well with super ripe berries such as raspberries, strawberries, blackberries and blueberries. The grapes are a really fun addition to add a little bit of fruity โ€œcrunchโ€ and good flavor.ย Theย fetaย adds a lot in my opinion, but it too can be left out if needed. Alternatively, goat cheese is also so good in this salad.

Berry, quinoa, and kale salad in a white bowl with a metal spoon, placed on a black and white stripped cloth.

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Berry Quinoa and Kale Salad

By: Chelsea Lords
A delicious berry, quinoa, and kale salad perfect for healthier eating goals!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients 

  • 1/2 cup red quinoa + 1 cup water
  • 6-8 large leaves regular kale
  • 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
  • 1 lemon optional
  • 3/4 cup fresh strawberries sliced
  • 3/4 cup fresh blackberries
  • 3/4 cup fresh raspberries
  • 1/2 cup red grapes halved
  • 1/3 cup dried blueberries
  • 1/4 cup pistachios coarsely chopped
  • 4 ounces crumbled Feta Cheese
  • Store-bought Balsamic Salad Dressing I like Marzetti's for this recipe!

Instructions 

Prep the quinoa and kale

  • Combine the quinoa and water with a pinch of salt in a small pot. Follow package directions to cook the quinoa. Once cooked, remove from heat and allow to completely cool.
  • Remove the coarse stems and discard. Take the kale leaves and finely ribbon the kale to have very thin and small pieces of kale. Place in a colander and wash well.
  • Place the coarse sea salt on top of the kale and a few squeezes of fresh lemon.
  • Massage and rub the kale with your hands for 1-2 minutes or until tender and a deeper green color. Rinse again and dry. Toss the cooled quinoa with the dry massaged kale.

Prep the salad toppings

  • Rinse and dry the fruit. Remove the stems of the strawberries and slice or chop. Add to kale + quinoa mixture. Add in the whole blackberries and raspberries. Slice the grapes in half and add those. Add in the dried blueberries and chopped pistachios. Crumble the feta cheese over it all.
  • Gently toss together all the salad ingredients. Add the dressing, toss, and then add more dressing as needed. Enjoy immediately.

Notes

Alyssa Also Recommends:
Want to make this even easier? Here are a few products that I LOVE:
โ€ขCalphalon Cookware Set
โ€ขUtopia Kitchen Cooking Knives
โ€ขThe Recipe Critic Measuring Cups

Nutrition

Calories: 74kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 2gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 390mgPotassium: 168mgFiber: 2gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 20IUVitamin C: 10.2mgCalcium: 15mgIron: 0.5mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Tried this recipe?Mention @alyssa_therecipecritic or tag #therecipecritic!

About Chelsea Lords

Chelsea is the blogger behind Chelsea's Messy Apron. She is always experimenting in the kitchen and making new things to eat. "Or I am in the kitchen eating. Both are good." She tries to eat a balanced diet of healthful foods, but she loves desserts. You will find most of her recipes are healthy and easy, but still taste great! She has found that eating is all about balance and she hopes that that is the case on her site!

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