Quinoa and Kale Salad with Tuna

Be sure to pin this Quinoa and Kale Salad with Tuna recipe and share with your friends that are sticking to healthy resolutions in the New Year!

My personal trainer asked me the other day how my “diet” was going.  The word diet is in quotations because I use the term loosely.  I don’t count calories, I don’t cut out all of anything like carbs, wheat or dairy.  For me, being on a diet just means being mindful of what you eat and cutting back on the “bad” like booze, fatty foods and sugar.

So, I told my personal trainer that my diet is great.  Lots of whole grains, proteins and vegetables.  Then quickly realized, that although I know how to eat well, let’s just say that in practice there’s room for improvement.

In February’s Month of Meals Menu plan, you’ll see how the recipes are much more focused on healthful eating.  I’ve also been working on developing some recipes that are easy to make and are all of the things that I want out of a meal: tasty, high in lean protein, and chock full of veggies and whole grains.

Here’s one such recipe that has made it into my healthy diet repertoire: Quinoa and Kale Salad with Bumble Bee Tuna.  Make a batch and dish it up for lunch throughout the week. Or serve it for a family dinner with roasted carrots or squash.  Either way, it’s a win – super healthy and easily adaptable to what you have in your fridge and pantry.

For this recipe, simply cook 1 cup of quinoa according to package directions, then when it’s still hot, but cooked add it to a large bowl of chopped kale.  The heat of the quinoa will wilt the kale.

To the quinoa mixture, add your Bumble Bee Tuna.  I used Bumble Bee Sensations, a tuna medley seasoned with Sundried Tomatoes & Basil.  Because, this salad has such few ingredients, I loved that the tuna came packed with flavor.  I also added dried cranberries and tossed it all together gently with balsamic vinaigrette.

Quinoa and Kale Salad with Tuna

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Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa
• 4 handfuls of chopped quinoa, thick stems removed
• 2 cans of Bumble Bee Tuna
• 1/2 cup of dried cranberries
• Balsamic Dressing to taste (approximately 1/3 - 1/2 cup)

Instructions

1. Cook quinoa according to package directions.
2. Add cooked and still hot quinoa to kale in a large bowl. Mix well, allowing the hot quinoa to wilt the kale.
3. Add in the Bumble Bee Tuna, dried cranberries and dressing, stirring gently until combined. Serve immediately at room temperature or chill.

 

Feel free to substitute flavors as you like!  Spinach would be equally as good as the kale.  Try barley or brown rice instead of the quinoa.  There are tons of Bumble Bee Tuna varieties as well. Even mix up the dressings!  Any way you make it, this easy salad is healthy and tasty!  The perfect recipe for busy moms!

Do you cook alot with tuna? What are your favorite Bumble Bee tuna recipes?

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.