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21 Simple, Quick, & Easy Meals
All tagged Kale
This Chopped Kale Salad with Creamy Goat Cheese, Apple, and Pumpkin Seeds is both beautiful and so quick and easy to make. If you don’t eat a lot of salad, a solution is to chop the salad greens into very small pieces- the greens become more tender and you get to savor the salad toppings (sweet apple, pear, crunchy pumpkin seeds, and creamy goat cheese) with every bite!
This Apple and Goji Berry Kale Salad tastes like fall with every bite! When you “massage” the kale with your hands, the kale becomes sweeter and softer, so don’t skip this step. Sweet apple, crunchy sunflower and pumpkin seeds, and chewy and tart goji berries are a match made in heaven. And if you’re anything like me, you eat salads for the awesome toppings 😉 And this salad delivers the best toppings!
Serves: 2
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 0 minutes
What (your ingredients):
1 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons honey
Pinch of salt
1 head of kale, torn into small bite-size pieces
1 apple, chopped into small pieces
2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds
1 tablespoon goji berries
How (your directions):
Add kale pieces to a large bowl. Top with olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, and a pinch of salt.
Massage kale for 3-4 minutes with your hands.
Add apple pieces, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and goji berries.
Toss to combine and enjoy!
Why (the science): Goji berries are high in fiber and the antioxidant zeaxanthin, which helps protect your cells from damage.
Crunchy Curry Salad with Farro is filling salad, heart enough to be a meal on its own, but light and crunchy and crisp. Refreshing for a hot, summer day!
Serves: 4-6
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
What (your ingredients):
½ cup farro
¼ teaspoon curry powder
¼ teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon paprika
Juice of 1 lime
Juice of 1 lemon
1 head of kale
5-7 radishes
½ large seedless cucumber
1 orange bell pepper
1 shallot
How (your directions):
Heat 5 cups of water in a large pot with 2 teaspoons salt. Once boiling, add the farro and cook for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, to a large bowl, add curry powder, cumin, paprika, lime juice, and lemon juice. Stir to combine.
Finely chop kale and add to the bowl with spices. Massage 2 minutes to soften kale.
Dice radishes, cucumber, and bell pepper and add to kale.
Mince 1 shallot and add to kale salad.
Once farro is cooked, drain farro, then add to kale salad. Mix to combine.
Enjoy immediately or store in refrigerator for the next day’s lunch or dinner!
Why (the science): Spices have anti-inflammatory powers, so combine spices to flavor your meals in replace of adding salt. If the salad needs salt, add a pinch, but you won’t need a lot with the flavors of curry and cumin 😊
Full disclosure: I’m always intimidated to make salads, because I worry that they won’t be near as good as what I can order from a nice restaurant. But THIS is the recipe that changes everything! Easy? Check! Café-quality? Check! Elegant but fast to throw together? Check! Kale and Quinoa Salad with Fig and Walnuts will be your go-to “I’ll bring the salad” dish to show off to all your friends 😊
Serves: 1
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 0 minutes
What (your ingredients):
1 bunch kale, torn into pieces
1 tablespoon pomegranate balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons walnut pieces
2 dried figs, cut into small pieces
1 oz. goat cheese
1/3 cup quinoa, cooked
How (your directions):
Place kale pieces into a large bowl. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Massage the kale for 2-3 minutes. Tip: Massaging kale allows it to become more tender and slightly sweeter!
Transfer salad to a plate, then top with walnuts, figs, crumbled goat cheese, and quinoa.
Enjoy immediately or the next day!
Why (the science): Quinoa is a complete protein, making it a great replacement for brown rice and other starches!
Pasta Primavera is a smart dish to encourage more vegetable intake, without feeling like you’re eating a bunch of vegetables😉 It’s a scrumptious sauce with lots and lots of fresh veggies, and I encourage you to use whatever you may have on hand. Lentil pasta and cannellini beans up the protein significantly. I serve this Pasta Primavera over fresh zucchini noodles to add even more vegetables and bulk to my pasta portion.
Serves: 4-6
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
What (your ingredients):
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 red onion, finely diced
1 orange bell pepper, diced
1 head broccolette, diced
¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning
Pinch of paprika
Pinch of salt
2 handfuls kale, chopped
1 15-oz. can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 jar marinara sauce (I used a rich tomato sauce with Barolo wine)
12 oz. lentil Sedanini pasta (or any short pasta shape)
3 zucchini, spiralized
How (your directions):
In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add red onion, bell pepper, broccolette, Italian seasoning, paprika, and salt. Stir and sauté for 5 minutes.
Add chopped kale and sauté for 2 minutes.
Stir in cannellini beans and marinara sauce. Heat through while pasta cooks, about 5-6 minutes.
Drain pasta and add to primavera sauce.
In each pasta bowl, place several curls of spiralized zucchini. Ladle pasta and primavera sauce over fresh zucchini noodles.
Enjoy!
Why (the science): Lentil pasta is high in protein (13 grams protein per serving!) which makes it a nutritious way to enjoy pasta and reach satiety sooner than you would with a white pasta.
Crave a salty and crispy snack at 3 PM? Friends about to drop by and need a lightning speed appetizer to munch on? Homemade kale chips made in the microwave are ready to devour in only 5 minutes! Get creative with the spices for fun flavored chips, or have your friends or kids choose their own spices. Snacking can be healthy, fast, easy, and yummy 😊
Serves: 1
Prep time: 0
Cooking time: 5 minutes
What (your ingredients):
2 stalks of kale
1 teaspoon avocado oil or olive oil
Pinch of salt
How (your directions):
Tear curly kale into large pieces and discard the stalk.
Massage with oil to make sure kale pieces are thoroughly coated. Then sprinkle with salt.
Tip: You could be adventurous and add a dash of your favorite seasonings-garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cayenne, etc.
Distribute kale pieces onto plate, allowing a small amount of room between each piece.
Microwave 3 minutes. After 3 minutes, if the kale is not a “chip” yet, continue to microwave, checking every 1 minute. My chips took a total of 5 minutes to create a crispy chip.
Enjoy immediately!
Why (the science): I hardly need to mention the health benefits of kale, since it has been a trending vegetable for a few years now! But now enjoy kale as a crispy chip that only takes 5 minutes and is flavored to your liking 😊
While I have never understood the nutrition claim “detox,” there is one delicious salad that I love to purchase, and that’s the Whole Foods Detox Salad. When I bought a pound container of it, I gasped when I saw the cost…$8!!! So, I decided to make it myself. This batch makes 8-10 servings for a fraction of the cost, and stores wonderfully in the fridge for 5 days. Just be sure to not dress it with your favorite vinaigrette until the day of serving 😊 Crunchy, slightly sweet, and eaten with a spoon, this “detox” salad (whatever that means) will become your new favorite refreshing salad!
What (your ingredients):
1 green cabbage, cut into quarters
5-6 large carrots
1 apple
1 large bunch of kale, ribs removed, or 1 large bag of kale salad
2/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup sunflower seeds
How (your directions):
Using a food processor with the grater plate attached, shred the cabbage, carrots, and apple.
Empty shredded mix from the food processor into a large bowl.
Remove the grater plate attachment from the food processor and attach the large blade. Add the kale directly into the food processor bowl. Shred the kale and add to the large bowl of shredded mix.
Top with dried cranberries and sunflower seeds.
This salad will keep for 5 days in the fridge if it remains undressed. Dress with your favorite vinaigrette when ready to eat!
Why (the science): Cabbage and kale are incredible prebiotics, which means that they feed and promote the growth of healthy bacteria in our gut. A healthy gut affects our mood, appetite, weight, and stress levels!
