A kidney friendly, low sodium salad recipe
Salads don’t have to be made with leafy greens. This Cucumber Quinoa Salad is heartier because it is made out of a whole grain and has plant protein and veggies added to it!
It is also very versatile because you can switch up the grain that you use. If you don’t like/have quinoa, you can use almost any grain in place of it. Use pasta, orzo, cous cous, rice, barley, or farro. Use whatever leftover cooked grain you have 🙂
How to make it
- Make sure you have a cooked grain that is either cold or cooled (if you recently cooked it).
- Add the cooked quinoa and veggies to a bowl.
- Make the salad dressing and pour it over the salad.
- Store it in the fridge to marinate and get cold for 30 minutes (if you were using a cooked grain that wasn’t already cold).
- When you’re ready to serve, add the kidney friendly feta cheese substitute to it.
It really is that simple!
What makes it kidney friendly?
This cucumber quinoa salad is great for someone following a, “renal diet” for many reasons.
The salad is low in sodium. One serving is 138 mg sodium. Even if you doubled the portion you consume because you are eating it as a meal instead of a side dish, it will still be low in sodium for a meal (< 500 mg sodium per meal).
Coming in at +0.6 PRAL, this salad is neutral potential renal acid load. This is great for a dish that contains whole grains and protein! You could even add more veggies to it to make it negative PRAL.
This salad has low absorbable phosphorus (~50%) since it is all plant based. The potassium is moderate, but not high (350 mg per serving). It is also a good source of iron (2.5 mg per serving).
It is an easy salad to make with leftovers and can be stored in the fridge for a few days to meal prep and use multiple times!
Cucumber Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked quinoa can sub a different grain
- 2 cups chopped cucumber
- 1 cup thinly sliced red onion
- 1/8 cup chopped fresh basil can sub parsley
- 2/3 cup tofu feta cheese if using regular feta, limit to 1/3 cup
Dressing
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/8 tsp salt can omit to make even lower sodium
Instructions
- Add the cooled, cooked quinoa, cucumber, onion, and basil to a large bowl.
- Mix the dressing ingredients together in a separate bowl.
- Pour the dressing over the salad ingredients and combine.
- Place in the fridge for ~ 30 minutes prior to eating if using cooled quinoa. If the quinoa is already cold you can go to the next step right away.
- Add tofu feta cheese to the salad and stir. Serve and enjoy!
