This salad just couldn’t get any better. It embraces all my favourite healthy ingredients like kale, tempeh, quinoa, butternut squash, tahini and sesame seeds. It’s a lovely filling vegan salad, which is super good for you, looks beautiful and tastes absolutely amazing.
So how good is this salad? I could rave about all the superfoods here, all the great health benefits and how cool is that it’s a budget-friendly seasonal dish. But you know what? I don’t care! It could be the trashiest food ever, I’d still eat this. Because it is extremely DELICIOUS!!! I mean it. We devoured massive portions of this quinoa, pumpkin and kale salad in the last weeks. It’s the perfect comforting dish warm on a cold and windy day and it’s super satisfying as a cold leftover too. I eat this salad for breakfast, lunch and dinner. You will too, I promise. And even the veggie haters will do so, because it’s the best thing ever!
If you want more filling and warm salads for the colder days check out these recipes:
- Chickpea, Spinach & Sweet Potato Brown Rice Bowl
- Carrot and Parsnip Salad with Tahini and Roasted Garlic Dressing
- Sweet Potato and Apple Salad with Miso Dressing
- Warm Lentil Salad with Roasted Vegetables and Apples
- Quinoa and Sweet Potato Salad with Roasted Garlic Dressing
- Warm Cabbage Salad
- Warm Sweet Potato, Rocket and Avocado Salad with Tahini Dressing
Quinoa, Pumpkin and Kale Salad with Tempeh
- Total Time: 40 mins
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
- 1/2 butternut squash or pumpkin of any kind
- 200 g tempeh
- 1/2 cup of quinoa
- 3–4 cup of tightly packed kale
- 1 purple onion
- 2 tbsp of black sesame seeds
- 3 mandarine, juice
- 1 lime, juice
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp tahini
- 1 tsp mustard
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- salt, pepper
Instructions
- Cut tempeh into small cubes. Mix together juice of one mandarine, one tablespoon of maple syrup garlic powder, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper in a bowl and add tempeh. Marinade for at least 30 minutes.*
- Preheat oven to 200°C.
- Peel then cut pumpkin into small cubes and arrange them on one side of a baking tray in a single layer. Season with salt and pepper.
- Place tempeh on the baking tray too. Bake tempeh and pumpkin for 25-30 minutes.
- Meanwhile cook quinoa in slightly salted water.
- For the dressing combine tahini, one tablespoon of maple syrup, juice of two mandarines and one lime, mustard and black pepper. Add water if too thick.
- Prepare kale by removing stems then tearing into small pieces. Add leaves to a large bowl with the dressing and massage them together for 2-3 minutes.
- Add cooked quinoa, baked tempeh and pumpkin, sesame seeds and mix well together. Serve warm or cold. Enjoy!
Notes
*Marinade tempeh overnight for the best result.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Category: Salad
Oh! I just love the sound of this salad. I mean, QUINOA + PUMPKIN + KALE + TEMPEH. Who can say no to these heavenly ingredients. SO so good.
Thanks, Anu!
Those are all my favourite ingredients 🙂
Time to go find that hemp tempeh so I can make this!
You made me so curious about that thing. Unfortunately I can’t find it anywhere, not even on Amazon 🙁 🙁
Definitely some of my favourite things in here too! Looks so delicious 🙂
Thank you, Josefine 🙂
This really sounds and looks so goooood, I cannot imagine anybody not liking it. And we are going to Köln next week, so I might actually be able to buy tempeh somewhere there, I have never seen any around here, not even in the öko-läden.
Thanks, Adina!
I used to buy tempeh in bio supermarkets, but a few weeks ago I discovered some asian shops where they sell it too. And they sell it for super cheap (1.50€ for 400g)! You should check out some of those shops 😉
I agree, by the looks of it, this salad is beyond perfect!!
I am so excited to try it.
Thanks, Cara!
This is so beautiful and healthy, Evi. I could just dig right in and eat the entire bowl.
Thank you, Linda 🙂
This sounds crazy good, Evi. Maple, tahini, mustard, pumpkin, tempeh — it’s like you’ve got all the superstars lined up for a major hit 🙂
Thanks, Audrey!
They are just all my favourite ingredients 😀
That is always the best thing, when you make a salad just because it taste so GOOD, and all the nutritional benefits are secondary bonuses. Your maple-tahini dressing sounds amazing too, and it is all so colourful – definitely saving to try!! X
Thanks, Claudia!
I totally agree with you, I really love salads and not (just) because they are healthy 🙂
this was delicious, thanks!
I am happy you liked it, Janny 🙂
I love both pumpkin and quinoa, and I often make salads with them. But I’ve never combined them together! Weird, isn’t? But that’s definitely not weird, is this salad because it’s fantastic! Love use of tahini too. Well done, Evi!
Thank you, Ben! 🙂
Just found your blog via Finding Vegan and I’m already in love. Keep on making amazing cruelty free recipes.
Hi Binga,
thank you so much, I am so glad you like the blog!!!