I'm always on the lookout for a good quinoa recipe, and when I came across this one a few months ago (on pinterest, of course!), it moved to the top of my to-try quinoa list.
Well, I finally got around to making it, and it's officially my favorite quinoa recipe now! I even like it better than the Southwestern Black Bean quinoa salad, which was also a favorite of mine.
This quinoa salad is full of crunchy veggies like cabbage, carrots, onion, red pepper, edamame and cilantro, and is tossed with a delicious ginger peanut butter dressing. Cashews are added on top to give the salad some additional crunch, and the resulting flavors and textures are absolutely delicious!
If you're looking for a new, tasty quinoa recipe, I definitely recommend giving this one a try!
Crunchy Thai Quinoa Salad
- 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
- 2 cups shredded red cabbage
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1/4 small red onion, diced
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- 1/4 cup diced green onion
- 1/2 cup cashew halves or peanuts
- 1 cup edamame, optional
- fresh lime, for serving
Dressing:
- 1/4 cup smooth natural peanut butter
- 2 tsp. freshly grated ginger
- 4 Tbsp. soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp. honey or agave or comparable sweetener of choice
- 3 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
- 2 tsp. sesame oil
- water to thin, if necessary (I added about 1 Tbsp.)
To cook the quinoa, first rinse it in cold water in a mesh strainer. In a medium saucepan, bring 1 1/2 cups of salted water to a boil. Add in quinoa, and bring mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and let simmer for 12-15 minutes, or until quinoa has absorbed all of the water & is cooked through.
Remove from heat, and fluff quinoa with a fork. Place in a large bowl and set aside to cool for 10 or more minutes... you should have a little over 2 cups of cooked quinoa.
To make the dressing, add the peanut butter and honey or agave to a medium microwave safe bowl. Heat in microwave for 20 seconds, and add in the ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, and sesame oil, and stir until mixture is smooth and creamy. Add in a bit of water if you'd like a thinner dressing.
Add half of the dressing to the quinoa, and stir to combine. Next, fold in the red pepper, onion, cabbage, carrots, cilantro, and edamame into the quinoa. Stir in the remaining dressing, and garnish with cashews.
Enjoy this salad chilled or at room tempurature, and serve with lime wedges - the tang from the fresh lime juice is the perfect bright note to finish off this delicious salad. Enjoy!
*Recipe adapted from the Ambitious Kitchen
