Upgrade Your Nutrition With This Miso Broccoli and Quinoa Salad

by Danielle Omar, Owner and Registered Dietitian, Danielle Omar Nutrition

I love building a superfood salad. I do it almost every day. My clients often tell me it takes too much time and effort to make a salad at home. For me, it’s very relaxing to chop up veggies, whip up a quick dressing and create my own delicious masterpiece.

It takes me back to my college days when I used to make salads with my roommate Marisa. She was a vegetarian like me, but much more advanced. She introduced me to tempeh and tofu and many other vegetarian delights, and we both shared a love for salad making. We would cut, chop and slice together while talking about our classes or life, and then we would sit and enjoy our creation together.

Ever since those days I equate making a salad for someone as a way of expressing love. To me, salad = love.

Today I am sharing the love with YOU. I’m showing you how to create your own superfood salad masterpiece. And by superfood I just mean this is not your grandma’s salad. This salad includes nutrient-dense fixins that give the salad that little extra heartiness to make it a main meal extravaganza!

One of the many great things about salad making is there’s no recipe required. You can’t go wrong and you really can’t mess it up. Sometimes I’ll make one special ingredient the star and build my salad around it, but that’s not always the case.

I also love to mix up my greens and use 2-3 kinds of lettuce. Below is my superfood salad template and a recipe for a delicious favorite I make a few times per week (with a few tweaks here and there!). When grocery shopping, make sure you always have these ingredients on hand!

The Template is below; simply include one each of the following:

Greens or lettuce: this can include any type of lettuce or green like kale, spinach, arugula or whatever you love! I always include 2-3 greens in my salads - Belgium endive is a favorite!
Watery veggies: this includes cucumbers, hearts of palm, artichoke hearts, bell peppers, broccoli, tomatoes – whatever you love and have on hand.
Beans (or grains): this includes lentils, black beans, chick peas or any other favorite bean. If you have some cooked quinoa on hand, throw that in, too. The beans will give the salad some staying power and extra protein to keep you satisfied!
Fat: Avocado, pumpkin seeds, cheese or nuts are my favorites. Fat is a key component to any salad because it will keep you full (and it’s delicious)!
Protein: Boiled eggs, grilled salmon, canned tuna, baked chicken, beans, or marinated tofu – these are all great protein options. Protein is important because it will make your salad feel more like a meal.
Dressing: this is your choice, but I think a good vinaigrette is best, like the simple one I’m sharing below. Just three ingredients and you have a tasty dressing that will complement any salad!

Miso Broccoli and Quinoa Salad

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tablespoon white miso
3 Tablespoons white balsamic vinegar, rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup cooked quinoa
1 cup steamed broccoli florets
3 cups baby greens
handful cup raw pumpkin seeds

Method:

In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, miso and vinegar. Toss with the broccoli, quinoa, seeds and greens.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Danielle Omar is the owner and a registered dietitian at Danielle Omar Nutrition. Danielle creates personal eating strategies for busy men and women through individual nutrition counseling, cooking classes and digital programs. She inspires working parents, busy families, and stressed out professionals to change the way they think about food. Danielle is also a cookbook author, nutrition and culinary spokesperson, and recipe developer. Click here to sign up for her Confident Kitchen newsletter.