Healthy Superfood Salad Recipe – Averie Cooks

Twelve Superfood Salad — This superfood salad is packed with 12 superfoods! This is a great clean out the fridge meal and is easily customized to suit whatever you need to use up.

My Go-To Healthy Salad Recipe

There’s so much healthiness going on in this salad that I think of it as a miracle worker. Something that makes up for the cookies and brownies and margaritas I like to enjoy.

What are superfoods? If you consult Google you’ll have plenty of information to choose from. I like to think of superfoods as nutrient-dense foods that help our bodies function optimally.

You could easily bump this up to a 15+ superfoods salad by adding broccoli, cauliflower, shiitake mushrooms, flaxseeds, beans, salmon, and more. When it comes to salads, I love the ‘kitchen sink’ approach. The more the merrier when it comes to flavor, texture, and variety.

I love the fresh blueberries and sweet juicy grapes with kale, which is more bitter. There’s chewy and tart dried cherries, crunchy sunflower seeds and walnuts, and the quinoa and edamame add protein and a satisfying heartiness. The cheese adds a savory element and balances the sweet fruit.

We loved this salad and it reminds me of something you’d find at the Whole Foods salad bar, but homemade is even better.

Superfood Salad Ingredients

I pulled some frequently mentioned superfoods from lists like this and this and worked 12 of my favorite healthy salad toppings into the recipe: kale, blueberries, grapes, dried cherries, quinoa, sunflower seeds, walnuts, edamame, oranges (orange juice), olive oil, garlic, and Greek yogurt. 

Note that you can mix and match the ingredients in this recipe as you see fit. 

The dressing is light, zippy, slightly creamy, and made with yogurt, olive oil, garlic powder, and orange juice. 

How to Make Superfood Salad

Making this healthy salad couldn’t be easier! Here’s an overview of how the superfood salad is made: 

1. You’ll first need to cook the quinoa and edamame according to the package instructions.
2. Then, prep the rest of the ingredients (halve the grapes, chop the dried cherries, etc).
3. Add the salad dressing ingredients to a jar and shake until creamy and combined.
4. Toss the superfood salad ingredients and dressing together and enjoy! 

Can I Make This Salad in Advance? 

I would wait to toss this superfood salad with the dressing until you’re ready to serve it, but you can definitely prep the individual ingredients ahead of time.

Just keep them stored in separate containers (the “wet” ingredients like the cheese and grapes, at least) and then toss everything together whenever you want. 

 

Or, I bet you could make this into a mason jar salad if you want to pack this for lunch one day. Pour the dressing into the bottom of the mason jar, then pile on the rest of the ingredients, making sure to add the kale last so it doesn’t get soggy. 

Can I Use Different Healthy Salad Toppings? 

If you don’t have all twelve ingredients on hand, use what you have and mix and match with other ingredients because this is a very flexible recipe.

Spinach could be substituted for the kale, dried cranberries for the cherries, and so on. The salad dressing pairs well with pretty much anything, so feel free to mix and match your salad fixings to your heart’s content. 

 

Tips for Making Superfood Salad

Quinoa: If you know you’ll be short on time when prepping dinner this week, I highly recommend cooking the quinoa ahead of time when you have a few minutes to spare. I love this healthy salad with warm quinoa on it, but leftover cold quinoa does the trick too. 

Dried fruit: If you truly want this to be a superfood salad, try to get your hands on dried fruit that doesn’t have extra sugar on it. Sugar is often added to dried cherries and cranberries to make them more palatable, but when the dried fruit is mixed in with this salad the added sugar really isn’t necessary. 

Dressing: Lastly, I prefer making the salad dressing quite salty as it’s being tossed with a lot of unseasoned kale, fruit, and nuts. But tweak the salt and pepper amounts to suit your own tastes. 

What to Serve with This Healthy Salad

As written, this healthy salad idea will serve two people as a filling main dish or it can be split among four people as a side. 

If serving this salad as a side dish, here are some entrees you could pair with it: 

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup dry quinoa, cooked according to package directions
• 1/2 cup frozen edamame, cooked according to package directions
• 1/2 bunch curly kale (about 4 to 5 cups), chopped or torn into bite-sized pieces with thick ribs removed
• 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
• 1/2 cup red grapes, halved
• 1/2 cup dried cherries, chopped if necessary (dried cranberries may be substituted)
• 1/3 cup feta, goat, or parmesan cheese, crumbled or shredded
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds (I used unsalted)
• 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped (I used unsalted)
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, finely minced or pressed
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper, or to taste
• 1 heaping tablespoon Greek yogurt (I used 0% fat, sour cream may be substituted)

Instructions

1. Cook quinoa according to package directions, likely cooking with 1 cup water to the 1/2 cup dry quinoa. Transfer about half of the cooked quinoa to a very large bowl. I don’t use all the quinoa for the salad and save the rest for another use. I find it too difficult to cook less than 1/2 cup dry quinoa.
2. Cook edamame according to package directions. Drain and add to the bowl.
3. To the bowl, add the kale, blueberries, grapes, dried cherries, cheese, sunflower seeds, walnuts, and stir to combine; set aside.
4. To a glass mason jar with a lid (or similar jar with a lid), add the orange juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, seal with lid, and shake vigorously to combine; about 1 to 2 minutes.
5. Add the Greek yogurt and shake until creamy and incorporated, about 1 minute. Taste and check for seasoning balance, adding more salt, pepper, etc. as necessary. I prefer this dressing to be on the saltier side because it’s going to be coating a large bowl of unseasoned kale, vegetables, and quinoa and you need it to read salty out of the jar to properly flavor the salad.
6. Add desired amount of dressing to salad, toss well to combine, and serve immediately. Extra dressing will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 1 week; shake vigorously before using.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving:

Calories: 480Total Fat: 24gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 78mgSodium: 968mgCarbohydrates: 36gFiber: 4gSugar: 22gProtein: 33g

More Healthy Salad Recipes:

Strawberry, Avocado, and Kale Salad with Strawberry-Apple Cider Vinaigrette – Make a kale lover out of anyone in this healthy salad with creamy avocado and juicy berries!

Mexican Wedge Salad with Creamy Avocado-Cilantro Dressing — A Mexican twist on the classic wedge salad with black beans, peppers, corn, crunchy tortilla strips, and more! Easy, healthy, and the dressing is so flavorful!

Apple, White Cheddar, and Spinach Salad with Honey-Apple Cider Vinaigrette – The flavors just pop in this fast, easy, and healthy salad!

BLT Chopped Salad with Homemade Creamy Buttermilk Ranch Dressing – Fast, fresh, healthy & satisfying! 

Roasted Winter Squash, Cranberry, and Almond Salad with Lemon Dijon Balsamic Vinaigrette (vegan, GF) – A hearty and satisfying salad to help you stay healthy and on track!

Tomato, Mozzarella, and Basil Quinoa Salad – (GF) – Trying to keep meals healthier & lighter? Make this easy, refreshing & satisfying salad! 

Lemon, Sun-Dried Tomato, and Almond Quinoa Salad –  Fast, easy, and fresh! Bright flavors and loads of texture! This clean-eating salad keeps you full and satisfied! Healthy never tasted so good!

Cranberry, Apple, and Blue Cheese Salad with Cranberry-Apple Cider Dressing – All the flavors of fall in one gorgeous, hearty, and healthy salad!! The easy, tart-and-sweet dressing is just bursting with flavor!

Honey Lemon-Glazed Salmon Salad – Coated with a tangy-sweet glaze that doubles as a light and bright salad vinaigrette! Fast, easy, fresh and healthy! An awesome 15-minute meal!

Skinny Mexican Bean and Corn Salad — Two kinds of beans, juicy corn and tomatoes, crisp peppers, and green onions are tossed in a lime-chili-cumin vinaigrette that’s perfectly light.

Originally posted June 22, 2016 and reposted July 15, 2022 with updated text.

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