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Quinoa-Kale bowl

March 15, 2017 25 Comments

This delicious and filling entrée salad with south-of-the-border flavors is one of my favorite new dishes. It’s related to my Burrito Bowl, but calls for quinoa instead of rice, adds steamed kale, and is topped with a creamy, tangy, cilantro-lime dressing.

Quinoa-Kale Bowl

Above: The romaine lettuce is on the bottom, with rows of goodies on top: kale, chopped red onion, cooked quinoa, pinto beans, chopped tomatoes, and corn, with the dressing and toasted corn tortilla strips on top. The beans, corn, quinoa and/or kale can be eaten warm or cold. I like to eat this as an entrée salad, which serves two (one serving is shown above). It’s a hearty meal!

Print
Quinoa-Kale bowl
Prep time:  20 mins
Cook time:  20 mins
Total time:  40 mins
Serves: 2 to 4 (makes about 8.5 cups salad and ½ cup dressing)
 
Ingredients
  • 1 cup water
  • ½ cup dry/uncooked quinoa (any color)
  • 2 cups packed, coarsely chopped kale (any type)
  • 1½ cups cooked black or pinto beans (or 1 15-ounce can, drained/rinsed)
  • 1 cup corn kernels (cooked or raw)
  • 2 cups chopped romaine lettuce
  • 1 cup chopped tomatoes
  • ¼ cup chopped red onion
  • Optional garnish: 1 oil-free corn tortilla, toasted, and sliced or chopped

  • Dressing:
  • 1½ ounces raw, unsalted cashews (about ½ cup)
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • ¼ cup cilantro leaves
  • ¼ cup lime juice (1 to 2 limes)
  • 2 green onions, chopped (white and green parts)
  • 1 medium clove garlic
Instructions
  1. Place the water and quinoa into a small pot, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to the lowest setting, and simmer for 20 minutes with a snug-fitting lid.
  2. Place all of the dressing ingredients into a blender (smaller blenders work best since this is a small amount of dressing, about ½ cup) and set aside while the quinoa is cooking, or about 15 minutes (so the cashews can soften).
  3. Place the chopped kale into a sauce pan, and boil or steam in a small amount of water for 1 to 2 minutes on high with the lid on. Drain and set aside.
  4. In a medium bowl, toss together the beans, corn, lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, and the cooked quinoa and kale. (The beans, corn, quinoa and/or kale can be eaten warm or cold). Divide the salad between two to four salad bowls or plates. OR place the romaine lettuce on the bottom of each bowl (a bed of lettuce), then create rows of the remaining ingredients (beans, corn, tomatoes, red onion, quinoa and kale), as shown in the top photo.
  5. Blend the dressing ingredients on high until very smooth, adding a little water as needed to reach a slightly thick but pour-able consistency. Serve the dressing on the side or as shown in the top photo. Garnish with sliced or chopped toasted corn tortillas if desired.
Notes
Kale: You can use raw kale if you like (instead of steaming or boiling it first). In this case, just chop it more finely. I like curly kale or dinosaur kale in this recipe.

Optional additions: Sometimes I like to add thinly sliced cabbage, avocado, fresh cilantro leaves, and/or pumpkin seeds.

To toast the optional corn tortillas, use a toaster or the “broil” setting on your oven for about 5 minutes (just keep a close eye on them so they don’t burn. If they get too crispy, they can't be sliced or chopped; they just break apart).

Instead of cilantro in the dressing, you can substitute with ¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh basil.

If you are sensitive to cashews or are trying to keep your calories low, you can use ¾ cup white beans (drained and rinsed) instead of the cashews (use all other ingredient amounts as listed).
Nutrition Information
Serving size: ¼ recipe (2 cups salad with dressing) Calories: 306 Fat: 9.3g Saturated fat: 1.4g Carbohydrates: 44.5g Sugar: 6.8g Sodium: 94mg Fiber: 11g Protein: 13.3g Cholesterol: 0
3.5.3226

Quinoa-and-Kale-Bowl

Above: The same recipe, but tossed (instead of in rows); with added avocado slices and cilantro leaves (and no corn tortilla).

 

If you make this recipe and enjoy it, please share a comment below or on my Facebook page. If you’d like to print this recipe, use the green “Print” button near the top-right of the recipe. Learn more about the Straight Up Food Cookbook here. Thank you!

Filed Under: International Dishes, Main Dishes, Salad Dressings, Salads Tagged With: burrito bowl, kale, Mexican food, quinoa, salad

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Comments

  1. KM says

    April 2, 2017 at 1:55 pm

    Your Quinoa-Kale Bowl is fantastic. I am not a big fan of cilantro (in the dressing) but I tried it and it was great. I enjoyed this so much I had it for lunch and dinner. Thanks.

    Reply
    • Cathy says

      April 2, 2017 at 3:45 pm

      Thank you for your comment! 🙂 And being first. I know, this is a very addicting dish; you want to keep eating it at every meal.

      Reply
  2. Jan-Marie says

    April 3, 2017 at 12:21 pm

    Cathy ~
    This is fantastic! I make Buddha bowls or salad bowls all the time, but the dressing was delish; it’s what sets this bowl apart from the rest.

    Reply
    • Cathy says

      April 3, 2017 at 4:45 pm

      Yay! Thanks for the comment, glad you enjoyed it. 😉

      Reply
  3. Heidi says

    April 6, 2017 at 10:25 am

    Cathy, Just found you from the Plant Transformation Summit and I loved this recipe, especially the dressing! Packed one for my hubby to take in his lunch tomorrow. Thanks for the great recipes!

    Reply
  4. canislai says

    May 1, 2017 at 11:46 pm

    Dear Cathy,

    I love whole foods and vegetarian. But I am vegetarian over 10 years but still not disgest well on fibre and serious constipation. As my friends said oil can lubricate the colon, I put no oil for cooking after reading your articles. My constipation seems worse than before. I took whole nuts and avacodo but seems no improvement. Can you let your guidance for this ? I am too thin as well since constipation. So that I can’t eat large amount of foods. So my family said why are you vegetarian but still have lots of illness. They are meats taken.

    Thank you !

    Best Regards,
    Canislai

    Reply
    • Cathy says

      May 3, 2017 at 6:52 am

      Hi Canislai, thank you for note. I’m sorry but I don’t know what to advise for you. This sounds like a good reason to see a doctor. You could have a phone session with Dr. Klaper possibly; he is a great MD who is plant-based. Good luck. 🙂

      Reply
  5. Jennifer says

    May 14, 2017 at 10:10 am

    Thank you for your website, your inspirational messages and your recipes. We just tried this one last night and it got a full round of thumbs up! My husband couldn’t stop saying, “Wow, this is a great dish.” It’s “in rotation”, the highest honor for a recipe in our newly-WFPB lifestyle.

    Reply
    • Cathy says

      May 14, 2017 at 11:14 pm

      Yay! 🙂 Thanks so much, Jennifer! Love happy husbands!

      Reply
    • Alison Lucas says

      November 8, 2017 at 3:48 pm

      Love the “in rotation ” comment ours is if you have it twice its a tradition

      Reply
  6. Linda Floyd says

    June 19, 2017 at 8:08 pm

    I am excited just ordered your book, I was reading and noticed you had replacements on recipes for people who don’t eat nuts. Another item I’m allergic to is tomatoes, so its been difficult with so many recipes using them. Thank you for your website, making the peach pie-lets for a bbq my husband and I are going to this weekend. 🙂

    Reply
  7. Lani says

    June 20, 2017 at 5:04 am

    hmm..pinterest button is not working here either…

    Reply
    • Cathy says

      June 20, 2017 at 7:02 pm

      Thanks Lani, I will look into it.

      Reply
      • Cathy says

        June 21, 2017 at 2:03 pm

        Hi Lani, I believe I have fixed it. If not on your end, please let me know. Thanks! 😉

        Reply
  8. Tammy Zweiacher says

    October 23, 2017 at 2:36 pm

    Is there a possible nut free substitute for the cashews that could work for this dressing?

    Reply
    • Cathy says

      October 23, 2017 at 5:18 pm

      Try white beans of any kind. 🙂 Not as rich but still white and creamy.

      Reply
      • eat2evolve says

        November 26, 2018 at 6:52 am

        How about hemp seeds?!

        Reply
        • Cathy says

          November 26, 2018 at 8:18 am

          I think they would work great. 🙂

          Reply
  9. J von says

    May 10, 2018 at 11:18 am

    What’s the lifespan of the dressing I wonder?

    Reply
    • Cathy says

      May 30, 2018 at 2:28 pm

      Any dressing made with nuts, seeds or beans tends to go bad faster; so I’d say eat it within three or four days.

      Reply
  10. Marie Roberts says

    May 27, 2018 at 8:02 pm

    The dressing is amazing!! Thank you for this recipe, I used it on an assorted bowl of veggies, black beans + quinoa I had 🙂

    Reply
  11. Porter mcclister says

    August 14, 2018 at 11:27 am

    I love your website! Your food tastes the best! More curry please!

    Reply
    • Cathy says

      August 15, 2018 at 9:11 am

      Thanks Porter! 🙂 Will do!

      Reply
  12. Seven Little Monkeys says

    November 6, 2019 at 2:27 pm

    Made this last night for dinner. Husband and I both enjoyed it! Just found your site. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Cathy says

      November 7, 2019 at 8:39 am

      Welcome! 🙂

      Reply

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Welcome to Straight Up Food! I’m Cathy Fisher, a chef and teacher whose passion is creating recipes without animal foods, salt, oil or sugar, and very few processed foods. Eating a whole-foods diet dramatically improves the health and well-being of humans, animals, and the environment—there are no downsides, only benefits! For more information about this blog and my work, click here. Thank you!

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