This Massaged Kale Salad has chard for extra nutrition and berries to boost its antioxidant power! Chickpeas and quinoa add protein and bulk to this hearty vegan salad.

This month I’m running a #saladeveryday challenge in my Facebook Group. It’s been a great way to be intentional about eating a fresh salad for one meal each day this month. Salads are my favorite way to pack in a big variety of fruits and vegetables!

We have all been motivating each other and sharing great salad ideas. It’s been fun and helpful and I’d LOVE to have you join us! Come on over to The Happy Healthy Mamas Facebook Group and request to join and I’ll get you added right away! P.S. There are weekly prizes! 🙂

This massaged kale salad recipe was inspired by the #saladeveryday challenge. I get bored eating the same type of salad too often, so I knew I’d need some new recipes to keep me satisfied this month.

Instead of just kale, I added chard to the mix. The more leafy greens the merrier, you know what I mean? Chard is a hard, bitter green like kale, so I went the massaged salad route.

I don’t massage kale when I chop it very finely for a salad, like this Ultimate Chopped Kale Salad , this Autumn Kale Salad , and this Asian Kale Salad.

But when I’m leaving the leaves a little bigger, massaging helps. Kale (and chard) are tough, not tender, and massaging them makes them more just tender enough.

For this salad, I used a whole avocado to massage the kale and chard. I loved the texture that resulted. 

Roasted chickpeas and quinoa give this massaged kale salad hearty enough to be a main-course salad. It serves two as a main course, four as a side.

I call this an antioxidant salad because the deep pigments in kale and chard mean that they are full of protective antioxidants. On top of those, I added strawberries and blueberries, which add even more antioxidants. The fruits also add a nice balance of flavor.

Tim loved this salad as much as I did, which is always a bonus. I hope you and your family love it, too!

How to Make Massaged Kale Salad

Massaged Kale and Chard Antioxidant Salad (Vegan)

This Massaged Kale Salad has chard for extra nutrition and berries to boost its antioxidant power! Chickpeas and quinoa add protein and bulk to this vegan salad. 

• Author: Maryea Flaherty | Happy Healthy Mama
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: 2-6 servings 1x

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

For the Dressing

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• juice from 1/2 large lemon
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon agave nectar (honey may be substituted)
• large pinch of salt
• large pinch of black pepper

For the Salad

1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas

1 tablespoon avocado oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 small bunch red kale, veins removed and roughly chopped

1 small bunch red chard, veins removed and roughly chopped

1 avocado

1/2 cup cooked quinoa

2/3 cup fresh blueberries

8 large strawberries, cut into small pieces

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
2. Whisk together all of the ingredients to the dressing. Set aside.
3. Drain and rinse your chickpeas and dry them well. Place them on a rimmed baking sheet and add 1 tablespoon avocado oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Toss to coat. Roast them in the oven until they are crispy, about 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, put your kale and chard leaves in a large bowl. Add the whole avocado and use your hands to massage the avocado into the kale and chard leaves. Massage the leaves until they are just tender, but not mushy, about 1 minute.
5. Add the cooked chickpeas, cooked quinoa, blueberries, and strawberries to the greens and toss. Add the dressing and toss again so that everything is evenly coated with the dressing.
6. You can serve right away, but I like this best when it has about 30 minutes to chill in the refrigerator. Enjoy!

Notes

*Nutritional information is for 2 main-course servings. It serves 2-3 as a main course, so values will change if it serves 3. It serves 4-6 as a side.

Nutrition

• Calories: 849
• Sugar: 20 grams
• Fat: 56 grams
• Carbohydrates: 77 grams
• Protein: 18.8 grams