This super delicious salad is packed with protein, healthy fats and wholesome goodness, making it a perfect Mediterranean salad for lunch any day of the week.
When I was putting this salad together, I was going for a protein-packed meatless salad with loads of flavour, texture and highly nutritious. So I looked into my pantry and refrigerator and came up with wholesome, delicious and refreshing salad. My original salad was similar but I wanted to make some modifications and add chickpeas and feta. The dressing is pretty much the same except for the choice of extra virgin olive oil. I now use Chrisopigi extra virgin olive oil from Gaia Fine Foods imported from Greece. It’s smooth, flavourful with no heavy after taste and is perfect for this salad.
Love the light nutty flavour of the quinoa, and as I mentioned this salad is packed with protein, rich in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that really makes this salad delicious and wholesome. This super grain high protein salad has a lot of healthy benefits and your heart, brain and gut will love it! The dressing I made is simple yet it is refreshing with a hint of oregano is a perfect Mediterranean salad.
RECIPE INGREDIENTS
- Quinoa is one of the most versatile alternative grain to use when it comes to substituting for protein. When making this salad, I only added 1/2 cup uncooked when equals to 1 cup cooked, however, feel free to double that if you so choose. I have double the quinoa in the past to increase the serving size. As well, any type of quinoa would work for this salad.
- Kale is one of my favourite greens for a few reasons. It’s super nutritious, it hold it’s shape well and I love the rich green colour of this leafy, cruciferous vegetable.
- Chickpeas are one of my go to legumes. It’s rich in calcium, protein and fiber. I used canned for this recipe, however, if you prefer to use dried chickpeas, then soak over night in enough water to cover them with a little bit of baking soda.
- Coloured pepper of your choice or whatever you have on hand. I prefer to use organic peppers, and if you have never tried organic peppers, I would highly recommend you try them. The sweetness is night and day, and to mention the minimal use of pesticides.
- Scallions was my choice of onion for a mild onion flavour, however, shallots would be a great option or red onion.
- Cherry tomatoes add colour, freshness and let’s be honest, they are soooo good! Gourmet tomatoes would also be an excellent option.
- Fresh parsley I always have in my refrigerator. I probably put it in everything if I could. It adds colour, freshness, it’s decorative and the most important is the nutritional benefits. In my opinion it’s a super food. It helps to fight heart disease, cancers, stroke, diabetes and very rich in Vitamin K, C and antioxidants.
- Feta from goat or sheep milk is my favourite. I prefer the flavour and if I can I will buy organic.
- Avocado is such a healthy fat and why not add it to this salad. I added slices as you can see, however, cut it in cubes and toss it in the salad.
- Lemon slices were added if you so choose to squeeze some over the salad for that added citrus flavour.
Dressing: Extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper was combined to make a delicious vinaigrette.
When choosing your ingredients, and that includes the dressing, it’s important to use good quality, if all possible to really enjoy the true flavours and understanding how good a dish can be. I recommend to purchase organic products (try to look for sales is helpful) and a good quality extra virgin olive oil.
I like to use a good quality Greek extra virgin olive oil as I have had the opportunity to work with people who sell premium Greek olive oil. As well, close friends who are Greek have shared their knowledge on how their olive oil is produced in their homeland. I have learned that Greece has one of the purest olive oil with no pesticides or chemicals use to harvest their crops. The olives are hand picked with little processing, creating one of the best evoo in the world.
HOW TO MAKE THIS SALAD
This is a simple easy salad to put together to get the optimum healthy benefits of protein found in chickpeas and quinoa both rich in protein, and Omega 6 from the avocado which both make us feel very satisfied and don’t have the craving we often get when we don’t eat a piece of chicken or meats.
Cut and slice all your ingredients while the quinoa is cooking on the stove. I would suggest to cook the quinoa first as it needs to cool before adding to the salad. Once cooled, then add into a large bowl with the other ingredients and toss with the dressing. Making sure everything is well coated so you get the full flavour of the dressing.
Garnish with fresh parsley and microgreens if you so desire. Can always add additional feta cheese as a garnish as well.
Kale, Quinoa and Avocado Salad with Lemon Herb Dressing
Equipment
- large mixing bowl
Ingredients
Salad:
- 1/2 cup quinoa (equals to 2 cups cooked)
- 1 cup water
- 3 cups kale, bite size
- 1-14 oz canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed (1 - 398 ml )
- 1/2 coloured pepper, sliced
- 2 scallions, diced
- 3/4 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped, extra for garnishing
- 1/2 cup feta, cubed, extra for topping
- 1 avocado, sliced on the side
- 1 lemon, sliced on the side
- microgreens to garnish (optional)
Dressing:
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (Greek Christopigi extra virgin olive oil)
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp thyme
- 1/2 tsp salt
- pinch black pepper
Instructions
- In a medium sauce pan, bring the water to a boil and stir in quinoa. Reduce heat to simmer, and cover. Cook for 15 minutes. Remove the lid and with a fork, fluff the quinoa and set aside to cool.
- In a large bowl, add kale, chickpeas, coloured pepper, scallions, parsley, and feta. Add quinoa once cooled.
- Whisk the dressing together in a small bowl. Pour the dressing over the salad and thoroughly mix all the ingredients together. Add the extra feta, parsley and the avocado and lemon slices.
- Refrigerator with a lid for a couple of hours to soak in all of the flavours. Serve as a light lunch or as a side with grilled meats, baked fish or seafood.
Notes
Nutrition
This protein super grain salad is filling enough for a lunch or consider it as a side dish with grilled meats, fish, or seafood. I also added a few broccoli microgreens for added richness and nutritional bonus!
