If you’re skeptical about kale or quinoa, then you have to give this salad a try! You’ll fall in love with both once you learn how to prepare them for maximum flavor and texture in this amazing salad with roasted veggies, tofu, and an incredible tahini based golden turmeric dressing!

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This dish is layered with flavor in every step of the cooking process resulting in an irresistible kale and quinoa salad. The quinoa is infused with warming cloves, cinnamon, and cardamom spices and cooked with sauteed onions, garlic, and ginger in the Instant Pot for the perfect fluffy quinoa with loads of flavor.

Then, the cauliflower and sweet potatoes are roasted to perfection with curry powder and the tofu is kept simple with a bit of soy sauce for flavoring while roasting alongside the veggies.

Kale can be a bit tough for a salad without a small amount of preparation. In this recipe, we cut the kale into small pieces and massage it with a little bit of sesame oil for a few minutes. This helps soften up the tough texture of kale by breaking down the fibers in the leaves and it also imparts some flavor from the sesame oil.

As if that weren’t enough flavor for you, the final piece of this dish is the dressing. Its a creamy, bright yellow, tahini based delight! Simply mix tahini, maple syrup, lime juice, turmeric, garlic, ginger, salt, and pepper for this wonderful dressing.

I usually love to put a generous amount of thick creamy dressings on kale salads, since the kale holds onto the dressing so well and it maximizes the flavor the kale, but I found that with this dish, that isn’t necessary. There are so many good flavors in this dish already, that only a small amount of dressing is need to complement the flavors from the quinoa.

Why you'll love this Kale and Quinoa Salad

Healthy, high protein salad: This salad is jam packed with healthy veggies, and high protein quinoa and tofu. This salad will leave you fully satisfied with plant powder super strength!
Perfect for meal prep: This recipe makes enough salad to last one person several days. Just add the dressing right before you eat it to help keep the salad fresh longer.
Perfect for sharing: This salad would be great for a potluck, it carries well. Its also so incredibly delicious that your friends and coworkers will be amazed by your vegan cooking skills!
You can switch up the veggies: You can substitute the veggies for anything you have on hand including broccoli, chickpeas, butternut squash, or brussels sprouts. Just adjust the cook time accordingly.

Kale and Quinoa Salad with Golden Turmeric Dressing

A flavorful, healthy, kale and quinoa salad with curry roasted cauliflower and sweet potatoes and a creamy tahini based golden turmeric dressing.

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Prep Time 45

Cook Time 45

Course Lunch, Main Course, Salad

Cuisine Indian

Servings 6 servings

Equipment

1 Instant Pot (see notes at the end of recipe for cooking in a pot)

Ingredients

Quinoa

1 cup quinoa rinsed and drained
1.5 cups veggie broth
1/2 yellow onion diced
2 cloves garlic minced
1 inch ginger grated
¼ tbsp ground clove
¼ tbsp cinnamon
¼ tbsp ground cardamom
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp rice vingar

Roasted Veggies

1 small cauliflower cut into florets about 550g
3 small sweet potatoes cut into 1 inch pieces about 500g
1 tbsp oil
1 tbsp curry powder
salt and pepper to taste

Tofu

14 oz (1 block) tofu pressed, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp corstach

Golden Turmeric Dressing

1/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup water plus more for thinning if needed
2 tbsp maple syrup
3 tbsp lime juice
2 tsp turmeric
1 clove garlic
1 tsp ginger grated
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Kale

6 cups of kale chopped
1 tbsp sesame oil for massaging the kale

Toppings

carrots julienned
green onions
sesame seeds

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 450°F.
Press the tofu for 15 mins to get any excess water out.
Toss the cauliflower florets and sweet potato pieces in the coconut oil, curry powder, salt and pepper. Transfer to a baking sheet.
Cube the tofu into 1 inch pieces and add them to the same mixing bowl as the veggies. Add the soy sauce and the cornstarch and toss to completely coat. Add the tofu to another baking sheet.
Put the baking sheets in the oven for 30 minutes, flipping the veggies and tofu halfway through.
Set the instant pot to sauté mode (see notes for cooking in a pot). Add 1 tbsp of oil and sauté the onions for about 3 minutes or until they are translucent. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute. Then add the spices and cook for 1 more minute. Add the rinsed quinoa and veggie broth. Cook on high pressure for 1 minute with a natural release of 10 mins. When the quinoa is done transfer to a container and place in the refrigerator to cool down.
Prep the kale by removing the tough stems and cutting it into small bite sized pieces. Add the sesame oil and massage the kale with your hands for 2 - 3 minutes. The kale will soften a little bit and turn dark green. Massaging helps make the kale more tender, improving the texture and taste.
Now make the dressing by combining all of the ingredients for the dressing together using a blender or an immersion blender.
In a bowl, add the kale, quinoa, the roasted veggies, and tofu and the golden turmeric dressing. Top with julienned carrots, green onions, and sesame seeds and serve hot or cold.

Notes

*To cook the quinoa in a pot, follow the same instructions as above, but sauté the onions and aromatics (garlic, ginger, and spices) over medium high heat and add 2 cups of vegetable broth instead of 1.5 cups. Bring it to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook until all the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes.

Keyword Cauliflower, high protien, Kale, Quinoa, Sweet Potato

Did you try this recipe?

If you made this Kale and Quinoa Salad with Golden Turmeric Dressing, I would really appreciate it if you could comment and leave a rating below. You can also share a photo and tag me on Instagram @thesunshinevegankitchen. I would love to hear all about your experience. Thank you so much!