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Kale Quinoa Salad (Cheesecake Factory Copycat Recipe)
My friend told me about a fabulous kale and quinoa salad at The Cheesecake Factory. So, of course, I had to try it since I'm always on the lookout for a delicious, nutritious dish. Another friend and I just couldn't stop eating it even though I needed to take some home, so I could recreate it. It was delicious! I created my own version of the restaurant's lemon vinaigrette and added it to some kale, quinoa, grapes, sunflower seeds, and Romano cheese. According to my taste-testers, my salad is a winner! It's easy, delicious and very nutritious.
I used curly kale, but any kale should work; just make sure to toss the bitter stems. Stack the leaves on top of each other, roll them into tight bundles and slice thinly or just chop them into thin strips until shredded. Toss the dressing with the shredded kale and massage the dressing into the kale with your hands for a couple of minutes (to tenderize it). Throw the remaining ingredients in with the kale and you have an excellent salad in no time!
Posted on by Judith Scharman
6 - 8 servings
15 minutes prep time
15 minutes cook time
20 minutes total time
Salad Ingredients
1 1/2 cup cooked quinoa 5 cups kale, thinly shredded 1 3/4 cup red seedless grapes, sliced in half (shortcut below) 1/2 cup roasted sunflower seeds, unsalted 1/2 cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
Salad Dressing Ingredients
2 tbsp lemon juice 2 tbsp olive oil 4 tsp raw honey or pure maple syrup 1 tsp tahini 1 tsp dijon mustard 1 tsp crushed garlic salt & pepper to taste thin strips of lemon peel sweetened (optional)
Directions
1) Cook 1/2 cup quinoa per package directions.
2) While quinoa is cooking, add all the dressing ingredients together in a jar and shake vigorously.
3) Fold kale in half lengthwise along the stem. Tear kale leaves off the stem. Stack leaves on top of each other and thinly chop kale. Add shredded kale to a large bowl. Toss dressing with kale and massage the dressing into the kale for a couple of minutes.
4) Add remaining salad ingredients and combine. Garnish salad with thin strips of lemon peel sweetened with raw honey or maple syrup and roasted in the oven until crisp and slightly browned (optional). Enjoy!
Hi,
I am wondering where the vinegar is in the Lemon vinaigrette?
Thanks,
Cindy
I am guessing the lemon juice is replacing the vinegar. Nice catch, I didn’t think about that!
Acid is acid. Lemon juice adds flavor plus acidity.
Made today, love it. Thanks for sharing.
OMG! Awesome recipe. I have made this twice, following the recipe, but doubled the dressing amount.
Everyone that has tried it, asks for the recipe. Tastes great even if you omit the cheese-I am vegan 🙂
Approximately how many servings does this recipe make? Can’t wait to try it!
I made this last night after trying the Cheesecake Factory version over the weekend. This is FANTASTIC! Thank you so much for re-engineering and sharing the recipe so that we can enjoy delicious, healthy food at home whenever we want!
Yeah! I’m glad you like it. Thanks for letting us know!
Made it once and fell in love now I make it at least once a week. Almost exactly like Cheesecake Factory except missing the red peers.mmmm delishoussss !!
Thanks for sharing. Red pears sound delicious. Pears weren’t in the salad I ate at the restaurant. I’ll have to add them to the recipe. Thanks for the tip!
I think they meant Pepper, because according to the website, they have red peppers in it.
Do you know what the thin lemon strips are in the salad at CCF?
No, I didn’t know. They weren’t there when I tried it. Maybe, I need to try the salad at the CCF again. Thanks for sharing.
Thin lemon strips (zest) were in mine too, but no pears.
Yes there was some kind of cheese or Lemon strip that had a good flavor. I just ate it today and tasted the strip separately but couldn’t tell what it was. Thanks for the recipe. Can’t wait to try it.
I believe also the little pieces of red was red pepper. If you taste it separately it tasted like red pepper but blended in with the other ingredients it just tastes wonderful.
It’s been about 9 months since I tasted this salad at Cheesecake Factory and developed this recipe. It sounds like I need to go back and try this salad again. Thanks for the heads-up! I’ll report back soon.
Thank you for the recipe! The strips
are preserved lemon!!
I tried the CF salad this past week. It was fabulous. I’m so glad I found this recipe online! Thanks so much for posting this. I will make this sometime this week. (and yes, there are tiny bits of red peppers and lemon zest in the salad at CF).
My husband and I had salads at the CF yesterday, and I ordered the kale and quinoa salad. I noticed the very thin lemon strips and they tasted sweet like candied fruit you put in a fruit cake, and yes there were loads of small diced red peppers as well. Thank you so very much for posting this recipe. Now I don’t have to pay $10 for this yummy salad. 🙂
How many calories does a serving have. I like the cheesecake factory, but everything they have is loaded with calories. I wish I could eat there more.
[…] Kale Quina Salad […]
The cheesecake factory salad includes lemon zest in the salad ( I put in the zest of one lemon in mine) as well as lemon juice and balsamic vinegar in the vinaigrette.
Sounds terrific! Thanks for sharing
I made this for the family and it was delish!! Great recipe.
I have made this salad several times and it is delicious! Cheesecake Factory just discontinued it on their menu (sigh) so I guess I will be making this version a lot more now : )
Tried this recipe without tahini. Turned out exactly like the one in cheesecake factory!!! Thank you 😁
That is great to know, Diane! One less ingredient is always good. Thank you for sharing with us!
Judes
This salad is no longer on their menu but I believe it also had red peppers in it. It was my go-to menu item every time. Thank you for sharing!