Beet Kale Quinoa Salad

Beet Kale Quinoa Salad is a vegan kale salad that’s loaded with superfoods rich with antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and a combo of sweet and earthy flavors! This kale salad goes great as a side with grilled fish or chicken, but it’s also substantially filling enough to have as a vegan main.

This kale quinoa salad features some of my favorite superfoods – roasted beets, blueberries, kale and quinoa, with some apple and walnuts for a little sweetness and crunch.  

This kale quinoa salad has an incredible combo of flavors all tossed in a delicious homemade dressing and it’s loaded with nutritional benefits your body will love.  And it’s super easy to pull together!

Kale Quinoa Salad Recipe

This salad is a nutrient-dense and deliciously flavored salad that your whole family will love!

• Kale
• Red beets
• Fresh blueberries
• Apples (Granny Smith or a red apple)
• Cooked quinoa
• Raw or toasted walnuts
• Healthy homemade salad dressing

How to Make Kale and Quinoa Salad

Making this kale quinoa salad couldn’t be easier.  First you’ll want to cook your quinoa (according to the package instructions) and steam or roast your beets.

1. Roast Beets. Place the diced raw beets on a sheet of aluminum foil and drizzle with olive oil. Roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until a fork pierces easily into the beets. You want them soft but still a little firm.
2. Cook Quinoa. Add 1/2 cup dried quinoa and 1 cup water to a saucepan and stir. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer 15-20 minutes.  Cool then fluff quinoa.
3. Prep Vegetables. Rinse and chop kale and apples and add to a large bowl with the blueberries.
4. Drizzle vinaigrette. Drizzle vinaigrette over kale, apple and blueberries and gently toss. 
5. Add quinoa, beets and walnuts. Toss in the cooled quinoa, beets and walnuts and gently toss again.

Kale Salad Dressing

• Sherry vinegar (red wine vinegar will work but omit about 1 tablespoon)
• Dijon mustard
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Walnut oil (if omitting walnut oil – then use 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil)
• Clover honey
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

To prepare this healthy homemade salad dressing, just simply add all of your ingredients to a mason jar and seal the lid tightly.  Then shake well until well blended.  You can also add the ingredients to a blender and blend, or to a bowl and whisk well using a wire whisk.

Tips for Making Kale and Quinoa Salad

• If you know you’ll be short on time, then you can easily cook the quinoa and beets ahead of time and store them in the refrigerator for later use.
• If you’re not a fan of kale, just substitute the kale for spinach, arugula or a hearty lettuce like Romain.
• I’ve made this a vegan kale salad, but you could sprinkle a little goat cheese or feta if you like.
• Toss in other superfoods like shaved brussels sprouts, chopped broccoli and cauliflower.
• Make a little extra dressing.  If you’re like me, you’ll want to drizzle a little extra dressing on your salad.

Superfoods Nutritional Benefits 

This Beet Kale Quinoa Salad is loaded with immune boosting foods. Let’s unpack all the perks!

• Beets have been shown to provide antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits. They contain compounds that help protect against heart disease and certain cancers, and they contain lutein and zeaxanthin which provide health support with respect to eye health.
• Quinoa is one of the most protein-rich foods on the planet, containing all nine essential amino acids. It’s high in fiber (which helps lower cholesterol and glucose levels) and iron and rich in magnesium (magnesium is good for the heart and helps to relax blood vessels), Vitamin B2, and manganese.
• Kale rich with vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, fiber, calcium, antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties.
• Apples are high in antioxidants (helps protect against various cancers and strengthens immune system), they help to lower cholesterol and blood sugar levels. 
• Walnuts have a high concentration of omega-3 fat. The omega-3 fat found in walnuts and walnut oil is not the same as the kind of omega-3 found in fish (salmon). Omega-3s help lower triglycerides and reduce plaque formation. Walnuts are high in protein, fiber, calcium, magnesium, potassium and manganese.
• Blueberries are a powerhouse superfood containing antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds that help to ward off major disease like Alzheimer’s, diabetes, heart disease, and some types of cancer. The compounds in blueberries also help keep our memories sharp. Blueberries are the ultimate memory food.

I love everything that this vegan kale salad has to offer.  It’s refreshing and light and loaded with fresh colorful superfoods.  And I especially love the little bite size pieces of beets in this salad.  Sometimes I’ll roast up a bunch of beets that have been cut into small pieces just to keep them in my refrigerator to add to salads throughout the week.  

Looking for more quinoa salad recipes to make?

• Best Quinoa Salad
• Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
• Southwest Quinoa Salad
• Spinach Quinoa Salad
• Quinoa Black Bean Salad
• Mango Arugula Quinoa Salad

Want more ideas? Check out all my quinoa salad recipes.

Looking for more salad ideas?

• Superfood Salad
• Quinoa Kale Salad
• Crunchy Detox Salad
• Italian Chopped Salad
• Fried Chicken Salad
• House Salad

Still want more ideas? Check out all my healthy salad recipes.

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Yield: 4 servings

Quinoa Salad with Beets and Kale

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Additional Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Beet Kale Quinoa Salad is a vegan kale salad that's loaded with superfoods rich with antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and a combo of sweet and earthy flavors!

Ingredients

For the Salad

• 2 cups sliced kale (stalks removed and discarded)
• 3 large red beets, peeled and cut into dice
• 2 apples(Granny Smith or a red apple), cut into dice
• 3/4 cup fresh blueberries
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup cooked quinoa (1/2 cup dry quinoa cooked with 1 cup water)
• 1/2 cup raw or toasted walnuts

For Healthy Homemade Salad Dressing

• 1/4 cup sherry vinegar (red wine vinegar will work but omit about 1 tablespoon)
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup walnut oil (if omitting walnut oil - then use 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil)
• 1-2 teaspoons clover honey
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

For the Salad

1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. Place the diced beets on a sheet of aluminum foil and drizzle with the olive oil.
3. Fold the foil so the beets are sealed and place on a large cookie sheet.
4. Roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until a fork pierces easily into the beets. You want them soft but still a little firm.
5. Remove the beets from the oven and set aside to cool.
6. Add the kale, lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil.
7. While beets are roasting, add dry quinoa and water to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for 10-12 minutes before fluffing.
8. Massage until the kale starts to soften and wilt, 2 to 3 minutes.
9. Add the apple, beets.
10. Drizzle some walnut vinaigrette over ingredients and toss.
11. Add the quinoa and walnuts and gently toss again.
12. Garnish with goat cheese.

For the Healthy Homemade Vinaigrette

1. Combine the vinegar, honey and mustard in a bowl.
2. While whisking, slowly pour a steady stream of the olive oil.
3. Season with salt and pepper.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 714Total Fat: 62gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 53gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 158mgCarbohydrates: 38gFiber: 8gSugar: 20gProtein: 8g

theharvestkitchen.com attempts to provide accurate information, however, this nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. The nutritional information provided comes from online sources and calculations.