Kale Chopped Salad with Berries and Freekeh (or Quinoa)
~ This Kale Chopped Salad is easy and vibrantly delicious! Featuring kale, blueberries, dried cranberries, walnuts and feta … it’s perfect with either freekeh or quinoa. Loaded with healthy superfoods, yet so good no one will even notice that they’re eating something this incredibly healthy! ~
This Recipe Is: • Ready in 30 Minutes or Less (depending on your choice of grain) • Make Ahead • Vegetarian •
At least as far as we’re concerned, this is actually called “Celebration Salad.”
High-Five, Attaboy, You-Rocked-It-Out (or At-Least-Survived-It) Salad.
It’s a lot of pressure to put on a salad, we know. But this one is totally loaded with powerhouse, nutritious goodies, so we figure it can handle the pressure.
Ok. But exactly why, you ask, is it “Celebration Salad”?
Fair question. It’s not totally obvious. Well, except that this freekeh salad is so colorful that it pretty much looks like a celebration in a bowl. And, actually, it’s a happy riot of delicious flavors – a celebration for your taste buds, too.
But the real reason?
This salad was there to help us celebrate after our first public speaking gig (*egads*).
We’d been invited by a local chapter of MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) International to speak on the topic of helping picky eaters become less … well, picky. We’d prepped meticulously, outlining the presentation and making lots of samples for the ladies to try (from Blueberry-White Chocolate Muffins to Pumpkin-Chocolate Chip Muffins, plus three kinds of Snack Bites).
We also wrote our entire series of related posts on parenting picky eaters and helping kiddos eat more nutritiously. It was a big project for us, as newbie bloggers.
Plus, there’s the simple fact that public speaking can be a teensy bit nerve-racking (which obviously necessitates celebrating after you’ve survived it!).
But, by the time we wrapped up our presentation that day and considered how we should celebrate, we were smack-dab at lunchtime, middle of the week, with kiddos arriving home for after-school activities in just a few short hours … and we still had a lot of work to do that afternoon!
So much for celebrating with a champagne-and-cake extravaganza!
Instead, we grabbed some lunch as we drove past our local gourmet grocery store (a splurge!). When you’re a mom, sometimes that just has to count as a celebration, you know?
We spent the rest of the afternoon happily working and planning together, munching on salads from our market’s amazing section of prepared foods.
And we’re gonna bet you can guess which salad was the stand-out. Yep – the kale and berry salad, with a whole rainbow of fruits and veggies, highlighted by a lightly sweet yet tangy vinaigrette.
It was delicious.
Deeee-(we-want-to-eat-this-all-the-time)-licious!
And so healthy! Bonus!
This recipe is our take on that beautiful (celebration!) kale salad. Sure, there are some twists … we tailored it to be perfectly, exactly how we wanted it and how our families loved it (even kiddos – no joke!).
One stroke of brilliance was that, thanks to the awesome folks at Freekehlicious (who kindly sent us some samples of their products), we’ve been playing around a lot with freekeh. And wow … although the original salad had quinoa in it, a true moment of inspiration was when this kale salad met up with freekeh. Chewy, nutty freekeh is a fabulous counterpoint to the other flavors and textures!
We also chopped our kale more finely than in the original, made a couple tiny ingredient swaps, and then absolutely loaded in the other goodies, too – from crunchy walnuts, celery, carrots and yellow peppers … to sweet blueberries and dried cranberries … to the salty hint of feta.
The result is a vibrant, chopped confetti salad (kinda like our Mediterranean Confetti Quinoa Salad and our shredded Superfoods Brussels Sprout Salad, but with a totally different flavor profile).
And, ya know – confetti is perfect for celebrating!
The good news is that you don’t have to go find a podium or prepare any speaking notes. Nope – no public speaking is required at all (you’re relieved … we know)!
You just need a knife for a bit of chopping and a whisk for the vinaigrette … and you’ll be enjoying the celebration for days (yeah – it keeps nicely in the fridge)!
Ok … so getting back to the freekeh. Are you a little curious? You’re not alone!
Freekeh is another of the ancient grains (like quinoa, farro, kamut …) that has exploded onto the healthy eating scene in recent months. It’s loaded with nutrition … and utterly delicious in this kale salad! (For more freekeh deets, be sure to check out our post about What is Freekeh (And How Do You Cook It?).
No worries, though, if you can’t find freekeh or just don’t have any on hand. Don’t stress! This is THK, so you know we’ve got options for you!
We also tested this salad with quinoa (which is how the gourmet grocery store makes their version), and can totally recommend it as a great substitute. In fact, we couldn’t get our taste-testers to agree on whether they liked this kale salad better with freekeh or with quinoa – honestly, it’s fantastic either way!
(Quinoa side note: if you’re new to quinoa but excited to give it a try, we’ve got an informational post about How to Cook Quinoa that’s full of nutrition info, too. And for those of you who’re already dedicated quinoa lovers: be sure to check out our full list of ALL our Tried-and-True Healthy, Easy Quinoa Recipes!)
But rest assured – whether you make this with freekeh or with quinoa, you’ll have loads of unbelievable nutrition packed into each mouthwatering bite!
No doubt, this is one celebration you won’t feel even a tiny bit guilty about!
So go find a reason to celebrate … and party on, friends!
Looking for More Salads Filled with Hearty Grains? Check Out Our:
- Easy, Healthy Chicken Salad with Quinoa, Tomatoes, Lemon and Basil
- Corn, Edamame and Quinoa Salad with Lemon-Dijon Vinaigrette
- Citrus Quinoa and Chickpea Salad
- Mediterranean Confetti Quinoa Salad
- Easy Kale and Quinoa Tabouli Salad
Kale Chopped Salad with Berries and Freekeh (or Quinoa)
This Chopped Kale Salad is easy and vibrantly delicious, featuring blueberries, dried cranberries, walnuts and feta. Perfect with freekeh or quinoa ... so it's super healthy, too!
• Ready in 30 Minutes or Less (depending on your choice of grain) • Make Ahead • Vegetarian •
Ingredients
SALAD:
- 1 cup uncooked freekeh (or quinoa, see note)
- 3 1/2 cups finely chopped kale, tough stems removed (from about 3/4 pound kale)
- 2 cups dried cranberries
- 1 cup finely chopped carrots (see note)
- 1 cup fresh blueberries (about 6 ounces)
- 3/4 cup finely chopped yellow pepper (from 1 small pepper)
- 2/3 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/2 cup crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese
- 1/3 cup finely chopped celery (from about 1 stalk)
- 1 scallion, finely chopped
VINAIGRETTE:
- 1/4 cup cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Cook freekeh (or quinoa) according to package directions and allow to cool completely.
- In a large bowl, combine freekeh (or quinoa) and all other salad ingredients and mix well.
- In a small bowl, combine vinegar, honey, olive oil, salt, and pepper, whisking to combine. Pour vinaigrette dressing over salad and stir thoroughly so dressing evenly coats all salad components.
- Serve immediately or chill, covered, until serving.
Notes
Freekeh: When using freekeh for this recipe, we generally choose cracked freekeh, which cooks much more quickly than whole freekeh. Both work fine, but cracked freekeh is simply faster to prepare. Cracked freekeh cooks in about 15-20 minutes, depending on the brand (roughly the same amount of time as quinoa), whereas whole freekeh requires about 45 minutes.
Carrots: To save time, we usually purchase matchstick carrots and finely chop them. Simply line the matchsticks up so they're mostly facing the same direction and chop them into tiny cubes. About 1 1/2 cups of matchstick carrots will yield 1 cup once finely chopped. You can, of course, also begin with regular, whole carrots instead.
Make-ahead tips: You can cook the freekeh (or quinoa) a day or two ahead and refrigerate the cooked grains until you're ready to finish assembling the salad. Once completed, this salad refrigerates beautifully for several days.
Yield: This recipe makes a large salad – perfect for sharing at parties or for refrigerating to eat throughout the week. You can easily make a smaller batch, though – simply halve all the ingredients.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 23 servings Serving Size: 1/2 cupAmount Per Serving: Calories: 108Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 85mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 2gSugar: 14gProtein: 2g
Nutrition information calculated using freekeh (instead of quinoa). Nutrition information should be considered an estimate only, and may additionally vary depending on your choice of ingredients or preparation. No guarantees are made regarding allergies or dietary needs. Always consult a physician or dietician for specific advice and questions.
beautiful! Beautiful! And congrats on rockin’ (or at least getting through) your speaking gig! Awesome! I love me some kale! I have a pool party next weekend, and so I’m having kale salads each lunch day in the hopes of having a bikini body, or at least fewer jiggles. 😉 I think I’ll try your add-ins. I love that you chopped the carrot shreds like that. awesome!
You’re so sweet, Debi – thanks! It really is just a gorgeous salad – such a showstopper when you take it to picnics and potlucks! Hey and good luck with those jiggles – lol!!! 😀 ~G&S
Congrats on rocking your first public speaking appearance!! Sounds like you both did an amazing job on a very important topic!! As for this salad, I LOVE your quinoa celebration salad so can’t wait to try this beautiful and colorful salad as well! I am always looking for inspiration in the salad department! And as for Freekeh, I neeedd to get my hands on some ASAP – this is my first time hearing about it 😀 Have a wonderful weekend and thanks for a wonderful and bright salad recipe!
Hey thanks, Ceara! The topic of helping kiddos learn to eat more healthfully really is one that’s very near and dear to our hearts! And we’re so glad to hear that you love the Mediterranean Confetti Quinoa Salad! This kale salad has a totally different, sweet-tangy vibe going on, and we definitely think you’ll love it just as much! And yes – track yourself down some freekeh! We love playing with lots of different nutritious grains, and freekeh is a fab one for sure! Can’t wait to hear what you think about it! 😀 ~G&S
Yum. I recently discovered my love for kale/fruit salads, and this one looks like a winner! I just got back from my last MOPS meeting this morning; I’m jealous of the group that got to have you two as speakers – and on such a relevant topic. Congrats!!
Question – do you typically store your salad with the dressing, or add it just before eating?
Awww … we love MOPS! Thanks so much for your sweet words, too! We really had an awesome time doing that presentation for such a truly lovely group of ladies! We both miss our kiddos’ preschool days (sniff sniff), and it’s such fun to reconnect with moms who are at that darling (although sometimes challenging! 😀 ) stage!
Anyway, regarding the dressing: We always dress this salad immediately and allow the flavors to meld. It holds just fine that way in the fridge for several days (you know how kale really doesn’t get very soggy no matter how you abuse it! :D). However, this salad is delicious right off the bat, just after the dressing has been added, too. So, if you personally prefer to dress your salads right before you serve them, I think you’ll be perfectly happy going that route, as well! Thanks for the great question! 😀 ~Shelley
Just made this tonight with a couple of modifications to use up our pantry and fridge items – so, so delicious! Loved the blueberries in the mix – those were our favorite bites.
I saved the dressing until right before serving, but I think I’ll add dressing to our leftovers to let it sit. Maybe we had a particularly crunchy bunch of kale, but it was a lot of chewing 🙂 Maybe the dressing will soften it up a bit.
Great recipe – thanks!
Hi, Liz! Thanks so much for popping back to let us know how much you enjoyed this!
About your kale seeming too crunchy/chewy: there are a lot of reasons that could be and several things you can do to help your kale be softer next time (whether for this salad or any other similar raw preparation). Gretchen and I have honestly never had a problem in all the times we’ve made this salad, but raw kale and how tough it seems to people is a true point of debate, so it’s entirely possible that your bunch seemed overly tough to you. So, what to do? First off, be sure to chop your kale really finely – that’s why we like to go the”confetti” chopped salad route with kale. Secondly, you’re absolutely right that you simply might have had a particularly tough bunch, but if you continue to have trouble with the kale you’re finding seeming tough, you might want to seek out dinosaur (also called Tuscan or lacinato) kale. It’s typically a bit softer and (when picked young enough) sometimes also a bit sweeter than the curly (blue) kale that people most commonly find in the supermarket. An additional idea is to massage your kale (seriously – no kidding!) by rubbing the leaves with a bit of olive oil or even with the dressing. To be honest, chopping the leaves really finely is all we’ve ever needed to do, and the whole massaging process seems a bit unwieldy and time-consuming to us, but lots of people swear by it. Lastly, you could definitely just try adding the dressing ahead of time. We’ve always had no trouble devouring the salad right off the bat, and this particular dressing shouldn’t cause significant wilting even after a couple of days, but you may find that dressing this salad ahead softens the kale just enough for you. Hope that helps, Liz! And thanks again for so kindly taking the time to let us know what you thought! 😀 ~Shelley
woah i love the sound of this salad! at first i thought those blueberries were olives and i was like UGH i hate olives! hahaha. I love how finely you chopped that kale..its like a chopped salad loaded with the good stuff. i like salads like this because they are actually fillling. i hate skimpy salads- dont know how ppl eat that haha. i have only used freekeh once in a blue apron recipe- have you ever heard of that company? its awesome. before that, however- i never even heard of it lol. im pinning this! have a good day, ladies!
Hi, Christina! That’s totally hilarious about the olives!?!? No worries – just gorgeously plump, sweet blueberries here! And I’m totally with you on how awesome salads like this are – I love keeping two or three different salads in my fridge for the week, and grabbing a bit of each at lunchtime or when I need a snack. It’s like my own gourmet salad bar … right in my fridge! Oh – and I have heard of Blue Apron (which sounds fantastic), but never tried it – too busy testing my own recipes, I guess! Thanks a million for the pin! So good to hear from you! 😀 ~Shelley
This is my kind of salad! I am not familiar with freekeh and don’t usually pay much attention to kale but here I go!
Thanks for another interesting recipe!
Okay, meat and potatoes husband elsewhere for dinner so I made the “kale chopped salad with berries and Freekeh”.
Had to use Quinoa this time but I will definitely continue looking for the Freekeh as this salad had delightful sensations in taste and texture. I will be making this recipe over and over.
We’re just thrilled! The whole reason we started Two Healthy Kitchens was because we truly hoped to inspire others to try more nutritious recipes – to learn about new ingredients and techniques and realize that cooking healthfully could be both incredibly delicious AND incredibly easy! We just can’t tell you how much it means to us to know that we inspired you to try two healthy superfoods all in one recipe! And it means even more to us that you took the time to let us know that you liked our salad so much!! This is why we blog … Mission accomplished. Thank you – really! 😀 ~G&S