Mediterranean Kale Salad
User Reviews
5
Mediterranean Kale Salad
Description
The salad starts with massaging the kale leaves with a touch of olive oil to soften the texture, making the greens more palatable. Chicken and quinoa provide protein and a nutty base. Fresh and roasted vegetables contribute color, flavor, and texture contrasts. Almond slices add crunch, while feta cheese offers a salty creaminess.
The accompanying lemon vinaigrette mixes red wine vinegar, lemon juice, honey, garlic, dill, oregano, salt, pepper, and extra virgin olive oil for a balance of acidity, sweetness, and herbal notes. This dressing enhances the salad's Mediterranean character and complements the hearty ingredients.
The salad can be served as a main or side dish and is suitable for make-ahead meals since the vinaigrette stores well for about a week refrigerated. Additional dressing and lemon wedges can be served to adjust the flavor to taste.
Ingredients
- 4 cups kale shredded with a knife, curly green
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper freshly cracked
- 1 ½ cups chicken cooked, shredded
- 1/2 cup quinoa I love the tricolor quinoa from Trader Joes!, cooked
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- ½ cup roasted red peppers diced
- ½ cup cucumber thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup kalamata olive chopped
- ¼ cup almonds sliced
- ¼ cup feta cheese crumbled
- 2 tablespoons shallot diced
- lemon for spritzing, wedges
lemon vinaigrette
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
- 2 garlic finely minced or pressed, cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon dill weed
- 1/4 teaspoon oregano dried
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- If needed, cook your quinoa according to package directions. It should on take 15 minutes!
- Place the kale in a bowl and massage the leaves with 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Set it aside for 10 minutes. I usually chop up the vegetables while I want! After 1 minutes, season it with salt and pepper and toss once more.
- To assemble the salad, add the chicken and quinoa into the bowl of the kale and toss again. Add on the tomatoes, peppers, cucumber, olives, almonds, feta and shallot. Drizzle on some of the dressing and toss. Serve with additional dressing and a lemon wedge.
lemon vinaigrette
- In a bowl, whisk together the vinegar, lemon juice, honey, garlic, dill, oregano, salt and pepper. Continue to whisk while streaming in the olive oil. This dressing stays great in the fridge in a sealed container for a week or so, so feel free to make a double batch if desired!
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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