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Cucumber Kale Salad

Crunchy, light and fresh! Cucumber kale salad is a healthy, green veggie packed meal with tons of flavor thanks to tangy avocado lime dressing.
Course Salad
Cuisine American
Keyword avocado lime dressing, kale salads, light summer salads, vegan
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Total Time 28 minutes
Servings 6 servings
Calories 316kcal
Author Lauren

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup red quinoa
  • ½ cup chicken or vegetable stock
  • 2 english cucumbers
  • 2 avocados
  • ¼ red onion finely diced
  • 1 can black beans 15.5-ounce can
  • ½ head or 4 large leaves kale of choice
  • 4 ounces goat cheese reserve 2 tablespoons for the dressing
  • 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro optional
  • 1 cup Avocado-Lime Dressing or dressing of choice

Avocado-Lime Dressing

  • 1 avocado
  • 2 tablespoons goat cheese
  • 5 tablespoons lime juice
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

  • Start by cooking the quinoa, so it will have time cook and cool while you prepare everything else. Combine quinoa and stock (vegetable, chicken or you could use water) in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil, cover and then simmer on low about 7-8 minutes until the liquid is absorbed. The quinoa should still have a springy bite but not crunchy. If there is still a little liquid left, drain it before adding the quinoa to the salad. Let cool completely before adding to the other ingredients.
  • Peel, deseed and dice the cucumbers. The easiest way to do this is to cut the cucumber in half the long way and use a spoon to scoop out the seeds. Place chopped cucumbers in a bowl - large enough so that you’ll be able to toss all the ingredients with the dressing. Finely dice the red onion and add to the cucumbers. Remove the main stem of the kale leaf and finely chop the kale leaves and add to the bowl. Add the black beans, if using canned black beans, drain and rinse them before adding.
  • Dice the avocado and add to the bowl along with the cooled quinoa and dressing. Toss all the ingredients together and top with crumbled goat cheese.

For the Dressing:

  • In a food processor, or whisking by hand, blend 1 avocado, 2 tablespoons goat cheese, extra virgin olive oil salt, pepper, and 5 tablespoons lime juice (about 2 medium limes.) Option to add chopped cilantro. Makes about 2 cups.

Notes

Salad will keep 1-2 days. If preparing in advance, leave out the avocado and wait to dress the salad until you are ready to serve. Because the ingredients are so fresh and light, it is recommend to eat the day you make it but it can be served the following day if sealed in an airtight container.

Nutrition

Calories: 316kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 170mg | Potassium: 812mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1577IU | Vitamin C: 26mg | Calcium: 88mg | Iron: 3mg