I’m a huge believer in that salads do NOT have to be boring, and can be filling AND delicious if you know how to make them right. AKA the salad needs more substance (protein, carbohydrates, etc.) than lettuce and salad dressing. And I love salads that are bursting with many different flavors and textures!
This kale and warm grains salad has it ALL. If you’ve never had a warm salad, it is very comforting especially in the colder winter months! But even if it’s not winter, I love grain salads as they provide tons of fiber and healthy complex carbohydrates to keep you full and satisfied. The base of this salad is chewy farro and nutty quinoa, which are topped with lightly sautéed kale and fresh arugula that is all topped with a bright, lemon dressing that ties everything together. For texture and flavor, we then add feta cheese, chopped hazelnuts, and sliced radishes!
Here’s a bit more about what you need to make this kale and warm grain salad!
Ingredients and Substitution Ideas
Farro
I will be the first to admit I don’t cook/eat farro often, but every time I make it I question why I don’t cook it more often! I LOVE farro in this blueberry farro feta chicken salad too! Farro is deliciously chewy and adds tons of fiber and whole grains to this salad. Just ¼ cup (dry) serving of farro provides 6 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber!! Pretty impressive for a grain. I highly recommend trying it in this recipe. It adds a perfect chewiness and texture, and is hearty while still being able to absorb the yummy goodness from the lemon dressing. You can usually find farro next to the rice in grocery stores. Bulk bins may also have it if you want to buy a smaller quantity. You could also substitute quinoa or brown rice if that’s what you have on hand.
Quinoa
I used a tri-color blend of quinoa, but white quiona obviously works well too! Or feel free to sub additional farro or rice. Just like farro, quinoa packs in quite an impressive amount of both fiber (5 grams!) and protein (6 grams!) per serving and has a deliciously nutty flavor. Quinoa is naturally gluten free. The package directions should state this, but you always want to rinse quinoa in a colander prior to cooking.
Protein
As I mentioned, I used hot smoked (fully cooked) salmon on these salads, but there are so many options you can use! Regular cooked salmon, salmon burgers (can you tell I’ve been on a salmon kick?!), chicken, roasted/crispy chickpeas, hard-boiled eggs, etc. Lots of options here! You could also leave out the additional protein, but I personally prefer these salads with the aforementioned protein options for best flavor and satisfaction!
Feta cheese
If you’ve been here for any length of time, you probably know that I’m a HUGE fan of feta cheese! It’s by far my favorite. As evidenced by this strawberry spinach salad, blueberry farro feta chicken salad, shredded brussels sprouts salad, Mediterranean salad, and this kale harvest salad. Obviously, you can substitute any cheese of your choice here! A shredded cheese, like parmesan, gouda, harvarti, etc. might also be good! Other suggestions are blue or goat cheese, although I am personally NOT fan of either Ha.
Hazelnuts
I’ve used pecans in salads (see this strawberry spinach salad), pumpkin seeds in this kale harvest salad, and sunflower seeds in this shredded brussels sprouts salad, but I’ve honestly never used hazelnuts in a salad before! While I know hazelnuts are delicious with chocolate (have you tried this three ingredient nutella no bake energy bites yet?!). Anyways, toasted and chopped hazelnuts (I bought pre toasted/chopped) are DELICIOUS on this salad!! Just like with cheese, you really can’t go wrong here with what time of nuts or seeds you use. Whatever you have on hand and what you prefer!
Radishes
I love the pop of both crunch and color the radishes add, but feel free to omit!
Lemon Vinaigrette Dressing
This lemon vinaigrette dressing is actually the same dressing I use in the blueberry farro feta chicken salad and this shredded brussels sprouts salad, which I make ALL the time. What can I say, this lemon vinaigrette dressing is just SO versatile!
- 1 cup dry farro, cooked according to package instructions
- 1 cup dry quinoa, cooked according to package instructions
- Approximately 1 lb. hot or cold smoked salmon OR protein of choice (suggestions include chicken, salmon, roasted crunch chickpeas, etc.)
- 1 bunch kale, lightly sautéed on stove in olive oil
- 5 ounces arugula
- 4 ounces feta cheese
- 4 ounces chopped hazelnuts
- Sliced radishes, optional
- Lemon Vinaigrette Dressing
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2-3 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- Salt and pepper to taste
- To assemble one salad:
- Warm grains if not already. Add approximately ⅓-1/2 cup each of farro and quinoa to a plate or bowl. Drizzle on some of the lemon vinaigrette dressing.
- Top with sautéed kale and fresh arugula. Then add more dressing.
- Top with feta cheese, chopped hazelnuts, and sliced radishes.
- Top with protein of choice, and enjoy!
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