This Winter Kale Quinoa Salad is colorful, delicious, and healthy. It's made with dark kale leaves, tricolor quinoa, onion, pomegranate arils, mandarin orange, walnuts, feta cheese, and a simple balsamic and honey vinaigrette.
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Just because it's winter, that doesn't mean you can't enjoy a nice, loaded salad! You can still enjoy fresh flavors. You've just got to make them fit for the season. So instead of Romaine lettuce, I might choose dark leafy greens instead. Then, I'll toss in colorful, seasonal fruits and veggies, a crunchy nut variety, a sprinkle of cheese, and dress the salad with a simple homemade balsamic dressing.
And when I really want to bulk up my salad and make it warm and cozy, I like to add quinoa. Not only does it add a filling component, but quinoa is super healthy, too! It's protein packed, gluten-free, and loaded with nutrients! Quinoa also works well for both warm and cold salads, so I like to keep it on hand to incorporate into all sorts of recipes.

I decided to use kale as my base for this winter salad. This dark leafy green will hold up under the weight of plentiful salad ingredients. It's loaded with all sorts of good vitamins and nutrients. Giving kale a good olive oil and salt massage will also soften the leaves and help cut some of its bitter flavor.
I used a mix of ingredients I had on hand as well as other seasonal flavors to create this winter worthy and incredibly delicious - and healthy - salad! The fruity, bright flavors of pomegranate and mandarin orange balance out the savory flavors of kale, quinoa, walnuts, feta cheese, and onion. It's all tied together with a sweet, but acidic balsamic and honey vinaigrette.
Winter Kale Quinoa Salad with Pomegranate and Orange
This salad is definitely a feast for the eyes and the stomach. It's even better the next day after it's had time to sit and soak in all of those delicious flavors! If you'd like to make it a day ahead of time, I would wait until you're ready to serve it to add the cheese. The rest of the ingredients, including the dressing, should be okay.

To start this salad, we need to give the kale a nice massage. Add the cleaned kale to a large bowl. Then, drizzle olive oil on top and sprinkle in some salt. Using your hands, work the oil into the kale leaves. Massage for about a minute, or until the leaves soften. Set the kale aside.

Next, cook the quinoa. I use prepackaged, boil-in-a-bag style quinoa, so I cooked it according to the package. After about 10 minutes, I drained the quinoa bag, opened it into a bowl, and allowed it to cool.

Once the kale and quinoa are prepared, you can start assembling the salad. Add the kale, quinoa, pomegranate arils, walnuts, feta cheese, red onion, and mandarin oranges to a large salad bowl.

Before tossing it all together, I need to make my dressing. In a bowl or a jar (I prefer to make dressing in a Mason jar), add balsamic vinegar, olive oil, honey, and salt and pepper. Stir or shake, then pour over the salad.

Toss the salad to combine all of the ingredients together and serve.

Winter Kale and Quinoa Salad with Pomegranate and Orange
Ingredients
- For the salad:
- 4 cups kale washed with ribs and stems removed
- 1 1/2 tbsps. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Success tricolor quinoa bag prepared according to package and cooled
- 1/3 cup red onion thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup pomegranate arils
- 1-2 mandarin oranges peeled, separated, and cut in half
- 1/4 cup walnuts crushed
- 1/2 cup feta cheese crumbled
- For the dressing:
- 2 tbsps. balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp. honey
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- For the salad:
- Add kale to a large bowl and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and drizzle in olive oil.
- Using clean hands, massage the oil and salt into the kale leaves until they've softened.
- Add the prepared quinoa to the bowl of kale along with the other salad ingredients.
- For the dressing:
- Add all of the dressing ingredients to a small bowl or jar and mix.
- Pour dressing over the salad.
- Toss to combine and serve.

Serve this salad by itself or with roast pork or chicken. It's totally satisfying on its own though. If you're looking for a light but satisfying lunch, give this recipe a try! The quinoa is a good source of protein and all of those colorful fruits and veggies add some delicious vitamins and antioxidants.
Did you make this Winter Kale Quinoa Salad with Pomegranate and Orange recipe? Share your pics on Instagram using the hashtag #holokahome. Don’t forget to tag me @holokahome!