Have you cooked quinoa before? If so, then you know the secret to getting great tasting quinoa is to thoroughly rinse it before cooking. This removes the coating that has a soapy taste. Rinsing your quinoa every time is the best way to ensure the tastiest salad.
The 21 Day Sugar Detox Level One allows some grains on its plan. One of the grains it allows is quinoa.
My goal with this sugar detox is to load up on healthy foods. Kale is one of those healthy foods I’ve been targeting. I came up with this delicious Apple, Quinoa and Kale Salad Recipe to be both Sugar Detox Level one compliant and as a way to eat lots of great kale!
I’ve been making this salad so big, I have to take breaks while eating it. I’ll eat a third then need to refrigerate it before I can tackle more. Big salad? Oh yes.
This salad is so big you could easily divide it into 2 servings as a side salad. Or eat it yourself in shifts like I do!
If you aren’t on a sugar detox, here are some optional additions to this Apple Quinoa Kale salad:
- 2 teaspoons honey to the dressing
- Crumbled goat cheese or
- Crumbled blue cheese
Apple, Quinoa and Kale Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 green apple chopped
- 1/2 cup cooked and chilled quinoa
- As much kale as you think you'll eat
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 tablespoon mustard
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
For the dressing:
- Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice and zest, mustard, and salt and pepper.
For the salad:
- In a large bowl, combine apple, quinoa and kale.
- Toss with dressing. Serve.
If you enjoy this salad, you really must try Grain-Free Cauliflower Tabbouleh!
You might be a Natural Green Mom if:
Is this gluten free? I don’t have a problem but some of my friends do. And what about carbs?
Hi Sheba! Quinoa is a gluten-free grain – so totally safe to share with your gluten-free friends. I’m not sure what the total carb count is but a 1/2 cup serving of quinoa only has about 50 carbs. I developed this salad to compliment the 21 Day Sugar Detox – which is a very low carb diet. So if carbs are a concern for you, this salad should be a green light for you. Thanks for asking, Andrea
Can I use anything other than mustard? Boyfriend hates mustard. 🙁
Hi Charissa, If you want to make a dressing with just olive oil, vinegar and honey, it would totally work! Andrea
Could you add/substitute Spinach? I like kale, but not too much, I find it has a salty flavor and I don’t like a lot of salt.
Hi Tracy! Yes, you could absolutely substitute spinach for the kale. Thanks for asking, Andrea