Protein-packed Kale and Quinoa Salad with Edamame

This nourishing kale and quinoa salad with edamame and a juicy ginger sesame dressing is SO delicious and bonus: it comes together without a lot of chopping. It’s a nutrient-dense, meal-prep friendly vegan salad, packed with tummy-friendly fiber, energizing minerals and plant-based protein for those days when you need a boost.

I’m not gonna lie: this girl knows her way around a bag of kale slaw.

As someone who loves her salads – but doesn’t have all day to chop vegetables – there is something deeply satisfying about tearing open a bag of prechopped, prewashed salad whenever I need an infusion of plants. (I know, the plastic…but I recycle all my soft plastics!)

I have to admit though, sometimes I’m hesitant to write recipes using convenience foods even though as a dietitian, I’m all about convenience foods that make it easier to eat well. But since I’m sharing a bunch of quick-to-prepare salad recipes this month, I wanted to create this nourishing kale and quinoa salad with my old friend, kale slaw, to show you that plant-based recipes can be as simple as they are delicious.

This kale edamame salad is lavished with a juicy ginger sesame dressing made with lime juice that is so good, it’s practically drinkable!! I’ve added hemp hearts, because they’re loaded with omega 3s, protein and minerals. Edamame and quinoa for multiple hits of plant-based protein and fiber, making this a satisfying salad you can enjoy as a complete meal. It also makes a great side dish or salad for a picnic or potluck..especially because this recipe is accessible to all types of dietary needs!

It’s funny, we used to eat a TON of quinoa maybe a decade ago but we got away from it (maybe we overdid it ha!) and started eating more millet. But I’m kind of into quinoa again in a major way. It’s quick cooking, super versatile and absolutely packed with health benefits.

This salad is vegan (but no one will notice!), gluten free, nut free, and yes, low FODMAP, should you find yourself on a low FODMAP diet for IBS. If you’re looking to get your gut health on track, grab a copy of Good For Your Gut cookbook, which is packed with delicious gut-friendly recipes plus 100 pages of evidence-based gut health info.

Let’s whip up this nourishing kale and quinoa salad

Hungry? This nourishing salad is made with just 5 ingredients (plus the salad dressing!) and minimal chopping.  It’s a great way to use up leftover quinoa: this salad comes together in 15 minutes – or about 30 minutes if you’re cooking quinoa from scratch. In fact, by the time the quinoa is cooled, everything is done and you’ve even had time to tidy up!

In a rush? Let’s cool that quinoa off faster for ya.

This salad totally works even if the quinoa is a bit warm (which is nice when it’s cool out!) but if you don’t want to warm up your salad, here’s a hack for cooling quinoa off faster: Spread cooked quinoa on a baking sheet! Yep, that’s it. The metal of the baking sheet will transfer heat away from the spread out quinoa faster than if the quinoa is in a big clump in the pot (which essentially means it’s insulating itself!).

More yummy, healthy kale salads

• Winter Panzanella Salad with Kale and Roasted Squash
• Winter Pear and Kale Salad with Creamy Tahini Dressing
• 15 Minute Vegan Kale Caesar Salad with Smoked Tofu
• 20 Minute Shredded Kale Cabbage Salad with Dill Pickle Ranch
• Creamy Maple Tahini Kale Apple Salad