I’ve been stalking other blogs to find good, nutritious, and easy to make meals since we’ve made the decision to eat better to improve upon our health. Finding healthy foods that Jay will eat is always at the top of mind – he’s an Alberta-raised meat and potato kind of guy. I’m lucky he’s willing to try (almost) anything once!
I’m the kind of person that loves to make huge batches of chili, lasagna, shephard’s pie, meatloaf – simple comfort food that freeze well for future lunches and dinners. Unfortunately, a lot of this ‘healthy’ stuff isn’t intended for the freezer. So, sometimes we get big batches of food that we have to eat for 2 days. I really need to learn how to shrink recipes for 2!
Because this recipe made so much I brought it to work for a friend the next day. The nuts were softer, and the water comes out of the veggies a bit, but, it was still really good and he asked for the recipe. This salad has great flavour, and is simple to make. It’s really just the prep time that takes a while (just like any healthy meal with a bunch of veggies, it seems)… it is company worthy and would be awesome to bring to a potluck or to a BBQ with friends. You will definitely get compliments!
Ingredients:
Salad:
- ¾ cup uncooked quinoa
- 1-2 cups pre-made coleslaw mix OR if you’re into it, use shredded red cabbage
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- ½ red onion, diced
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
- ¼ cup diced green onions
- ½ cup cashew halves or peanuts
- Optional: 1 cup edamame or chickpeas
- Fresh lime, for a bit of tang
Dressing:
- ¼ cup all natural peanut butter
- 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
- 3 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- Water to thin, if necessary
Instructions:
- Cook the quinoa: Rinse quinoa with cold water in mesh strainer to get rid of any bitterness. In a medium saucepan, bring 1 ½ cups of water to a boil. Add in quinoa and bring mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and let simmer for 15 minutes or until quinoa has absorbed all of the water. Remove from heat and fluff quinoa with fork; place in large bowl and set aside to cool for about 10 minutes.
- Make the dressing: Add peanut butter and honey to a medium microwave safe bowl; heat in the microwave for 20 seconds. Add in ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, and both sesame and olive oil and stir until mixture is smooth and creamy. If you want a thinner dressing, simply stir in a teaspoon or two of water or olive oil.
- Add some of the dressing to the quinoa so it can absorb the flavor directly. Make sure to save some of the dressing to add to the salad once all ingredients are added.
- Fold in red pepper, onion, cabbage, carrots, and cilantro into the quinoa. Garnish with cashews and green onions. Serve chilled or at room temperature with lime wedges if desired.
Enjoy!!!
Full kudos for the recipe goes to Ambitious Kitchen: http://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/2013/04/crunchy-cashew-thai-quinoa-salad-with-ginger-peanut-dressing/
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