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.
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!
- 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
- 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.
- 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).
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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).
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!
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.
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.
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.
Yay! Thanks for the comment, glad you enjoyed it. 😉
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!
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
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. 🙂
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.
Yay! 🙂 Thanks so much, Jennifer! Love happy husbands!
Love the “in rotation ” comment ours is if you have it twice its a tradition
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. 🙂
hmm..pinterest button is not working here either…
Thanks Lani, I will look into it.
Hi Lani, I believe I have fixed it. If not on your end, please let me know. Thanks! 😉
Is there a possible nut free substitute for the cashews that could work for this dressing?
Try white beans of any kind. 🙂 Not as rich but still white and creamy.
How about hemp seeds?!
I think they would work great. 🙂
What’s the lifespan of the dressing I wonder?
Any dressing made with nuts, seeds or beans tends to go bad faster; so I’d say eat it within three or four days.
The dressing is amazing!! Thank you for this recipe, I used it on an assorted bowl of veggies, black beans + quinoa I had 🙂
I love your website! Your food tastes the best! More curry please!
Thanks Porter! 🙂 Will do!