Nothing beats this Honeycrisp quinoa salad to kick off the week.
I’m a little obsessed with September salads. Kale and Honeycrisp apples are the perfect seasonal pairing — they mark the end of summer and the arrival of fall in the best way.
This version keeps the kale and Honeycrisps but adds cooked quinoa for substance, cubes of feta for tang, chopped roasted pistachios for buttery crunch, and dried tart cherries for a bright chew. It’s all tossed with a bright apple cider vinaigrette for a salty‑meets‑sweet finish.
Over the years I’ve played with similar salads — from a harvest Honeycrisp salad with a cinnamon‑shallot vinaigrette to a September kale salad with figs, pancetta and goat cheese — and each riff proves how well apples and hearty greens pair with bold dressings and lots of texture.
I kept those ideas in mind here: the massaged kale becomes tender and slightly chewy when dressed, the warm or room‑temperature quinoa helps meld flavors, and the combination of crunchy nuts, juicy apple, creamy feta and tart cherries delivers everything you want from a transitional late‑summer/early‑fall salad.
Give me all the apple cider things!
The salad starts with lacinato (Tuscan) kale, but curly green works well too. Remove the stems, chop the leaves, and massage them lightly with a bit of the apple cider vinaigrette — it softens the leaves and deepens their flavor. Add the quinoa, apples, feta, pistachios and dried cherries, toss, and finish with more dressing to taste.
This salad is refreshing on warm late‑summer evenings yet has the flavors that make you look forward to autumn produce. It also stores well: sealed in a container, leftovers keep overnight (the apples may brown slightly).
Make it for dinner tonight — you won’t regret it.
Honeycrisp Quinoa Salad with Kale and Pistachios
Honeycrisp Quinoa Salad with Kale and Pistachios
4 people
30 mins
30 mins
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Ingredients
- ½ cup cooked quinoa
- 1 large bunch lacinato (Tuscan) kale, leaves removed from stems (about 4–6 cups)
- 2 Honeycrisp apples, cubed
- 6 ounces feta cheese, cubed
- ⅓ cup dried tart cherries
- ¼ cup chopped roasted pistachios
Apple Cider Vinaigrette
- ⅓ cup apple cider
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove, finely minced or pressed
- Pinch salt and pepper
- Pinch freshly ground nutmeg
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- This salad is a great way to use leftover quinoa. If you don’t have cooked quinoa ready, make a batch first (about 15 minutes) while you prep the rest of the ingredients.
- Chop the kale and place it in a bowl. Drizzle with about 2 tablespoons of the apple cider vinaigrette and massage the leaves for 1–2 minutes. Let it rest for at least 5 minutes to soften.
- If the quinoa is warm, add it to the kale to gently wilt the leaves. If the quinoa is cooled, that’s fine too. After the kale has rested, add the quinoa, apples, feta, pistachios and cherries. Toss to combine and drizzle with more dressing to taste. Serve immediately.
- Leftovers keep well sealed in the fridge for a day; apples may brown slightly.
Apple Cider Vinaigrette
- Whisk together apple cider, lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper and nutmeg. While whisking constantly, stream in the olive oil until emulsified. Store sealed in the fridge for a few days.
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Bite of perfection, right there!