Berry Quinoa and Kale Salad

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

Hi everyone! Chelsea from Chelsea’s Messy Apron with a healthy salad to finish up the month of healthy eating 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

How do you make a kale and quinoa salad?

You start by preparing the kale. Ever wondered how to make kale taste 100x better? By massaging it. It takes a little extra effort but it is well worth it.
First you’ll remove those big stems and then you’ll very, very thinly slice (ribbon) the kale. The smaller the shreds of kale, the better! Once it’s all thinly sliced throw it in a colander and wash it.You’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 so healthy can taste this good!
As far as salad toppings for this kale and quinoa salad, I’ve grabbed my favorite berries and fruit 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 “crunch” and good flavor. The feta 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

Author: Chelsea from Chelsea's Messy Apron

Serves: 6 servings

Ingredients

½ cup red quinoa + 1 cup water
6-8 large leaves regular kale
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1 lemon, optional
¾ cup fresh strawberries, sliced
¾ cup fresh blackberries
¾ cup fresh raspberries
½ cup red grapes, halved
⅓ cup dried blueberries
¼ 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.

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