Kale & Quinoa Chopped Salad

If you’re looking for a big, nourishing salad that keeps you full and makes great leftovers, try this Kale & Quinoa Chopped Salad!

This salad is super easy to customize and is a great meal prep option. Follow the recipe or feel free to use what you have on hand. This recipe makes a salad large enough to provide you with 2-3 lunches or dinners throughout the week!

I love this salad because it’s full of ingredients that provide protein, fiber, healthy fat, and essential nutrients that Americans generally are lacking. Plus, greens like kale are coming into season, and make a yummy pre-fall combination with quinoa.

Ingredients:

2 cups chopped kale

1 cup cooked quinoa

1 bell pepper, diced

1 small-medium cucumber, diced (or use ½ large cucumber)

¼ red onion, chopped

1 can chickpeas, drained & rinsed

½ cup pumpkin seeds

½ cup dried cranberries

½ cup crumbled feta cheese

~¾ to 1 lb grilled chicken, diced

Juice of 1 lemon

2-3 tbsp olive oil

Instructions:

1. Boil quinoa according to package instructions and allow to cool before adding to the salad.

2. You can prepare chicken by seasoning with salt and pepper and roasting at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes, airfrying at 375 for 10-20 minutes, or you can buy pre-grilled chicken from brands like Applegate.

3. Combine lemon juice and olive oil in a small dish and toss into salad when all ingredients have been added to a bowl. Enjoy throughout the week!

The key to making a satisfying salad is to add ingredients that are nutritious, but to also add ingredients that add flavor factor. Each ingredient plays a key role in the salad:

• Kale: one of the most nutritious veggies because it contains such a high concentration of vitamins and minerals. It also helps provide texture in the salad with its slightly crunchy bite.

• Quinoa: this grain is super high in fiber and also one of the only plant sources of protein that contains all the essential amino acids that our bodies need! (Essential amino acids = protein building blocks that our bodies can’t make on their own).

• Bell pepper, cucumber, red onion: all of these add fiber and are high in water content, meaning they’re great low-calories additions. They also provide color to the salad, and color = nutrient variety to give our bodies the most nutrients possible.

• Chickpeas: another great source of plant protein & fiber to help make this salad satisfying.

• Pumpkin seeds: I love to add seeds to my salads because they add a great crunch and they’re generally high in specific nutrients. Pumpkin seeds, for example, contain omega-3s, which are healthy fats that help improve our heart and brain health. Americans lack omega-3s in their diet, so adding seeds to a salad is a great way to ensure we consume them!

• Cranberries & crumbled feta cheese: these are our two flavor factor components. The dried cranberries add a pinch of sweetness, while the cheese adds a bit of saltiness and creaminess. Did you know that cheese also contains protein and calcium, and that dried fruit like cranberries contains fiber? Look out for added-sugar varieties of dried fruit, since those are generally less nutritious.

• Grilled chicken: our lean source of protein in the salad and the ultimate satisfaction component.

• Lemon juice: adds a slight acidity to the salad to enhance flavor, and also helps unlock some of the nutrients in the kale! Did you know that vitamin C (in lemon juice) can help release nutrients like iron from leafy greens?

• Olive oil: us dietitians love olive oil because it’s so heart healthy! Olive oil contains monounsaturated fats which are our best source of fats when it comes to losing weight and improving overall health and longevity.

Whether you choose to follow this recipe or create a riff on your own, it’s important to keep in mind nutrition, texture, color, and flavor when crafting a salad to ensure your salad is satisfying, filling, and exciting!

Let us know how you like this recipe!

By Jessica Kaplan