Fall Harvest Quinoa Salad
This fall harvest quinoa salad is a hearty, high-protein lunch packed with cozy fall flavors and tossed in a sweet and tangy maple Dijon dressing. It’s filling, delicious, and easy to meal prep for the week.
Servings: 4 servings
Equipment
- small pot
- small mixing bowl or measuring cup
Ingredients
Sweet Potatoes
- 1 small sweet potato cut into ½-inch cubes
- ½ Tbsp olive oil or avocado oil
- salt and pepper
Quinoa
- ¾ cup uncooked quinoa
- ½ tsp Better Than Bouillon chicken or vegetable base optional
Salad
- 4 cups small chopped kale de-stemmed and packed
- 2 cups diced cooked chicken I use white meat from a rotisserie chicken (skin and bones removed)
- ½ large honeycrisp apple or 1 small, diced small
- 1 small red onion diced small
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
- ⅓ cup chopped pecans
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
Maple Dijon Vinaigrette
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tbsp dijon mustard
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ tsp salt adjust to taste
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prepare quinoa: Cook quinoa according to package directions, adding bouillon to the water for additional flavor. Fluff with a fork and set aside.
- Roast sweet potatoes: In the meantime, position the oven rack to the middle and pre-heat to 400 F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Add sweet potatoes to the pan and toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until sweet potatoes are fork-tender and browned.
- Prepare dressing: Whisk all ingredients for maple dijon vinaigrette together in a small bowl or measuring cup. Taste, and adjust salt and pepper as desired.
- Assemble salad: Cool the quinoa and sweet potatoes for at least 10 minutes. Then, add them with the remaining salad ingredients to your large mixing bowl. Pour dressing over top and toss until well coated.
Notes
- I keep the skin on my sweet potato for extra fiber.
- Kale stems are very tough and hard to chew – make sure to de-stem it carefully.
- Your salad will stay good in the fridge for up to four days!
Nutrition
Calories: 656kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 21g | Cholesterol: 69mg | Sodium: 646mg | Potassium: 760mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 10247IU | Vitamin C: 25mg | Calcium: 218mg | Iron: 4mg