Hey y’all! It has been a while since I have posted a recipe on the blog. With the baby becoming more mobile and curious every day, she keeps my hands completely tied up during the day. And now that she is eating table food, a lot of my meal prep is focused on her. With that being said, she has now discovered her legs and lovesss to be in her walker! Which is great for me because she can stay busy strolling around the main floor and I can keep an eye on her while I cook…. win, win!
It is still hard core winter up here and we are still covered in snow. Typically winter screams comfort foods and carbs. Not going to lie… I have definitely indulged this season, but I am now desparately craving greens and SPRING! This salad was inspired by Ambitious Kitchen. I love anything cashew, really, {see my cashew recipes here, here & here} and wanted a “fun” salad. This seemed to fit the bill.
I am all about cutting down on prep time, especially now that I’m a mom and time is limited, so I picked up a few prepped items along with some fresh ingredients at Trader Joe’s to bring my version of this Thai Quinoa Salad to life. My friend told me to try the ginger/carrot/miso dressing from Trader Joe’s (its in the refrigerator section) and this asian salad was the perfect time to give it a try. Full honestly here, the dressing is GOOD! However, I’m not a huge fan of canola oil and this dressing does have it has a base, BUT there is no added sugar which is a major win!! So moral of the story… compromise. Other than that, this salad HIT THE SPOT and is super easy. I added some chicken {sauteed in lime infusion evoo with salt, pepper and ground ginger}, but you can keep it vegan/vegetarian if you want! Here’s the recipe. Take a look….
Thai Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa uncooked
- 8 oz shredded cabbage mix preferably with red cabbage
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1/4 cup red onion finely diced
- 1 cup carrots shredded
- 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
- 1/4 cup green onions diced
- 1/2 cup cashews halves
- 4-6 oz asian inspired dressing I used ginger miso dressing from Trader Joe's
Optional Toppings
- sesame seeds
- crunchy wantons
- fresh lime juice
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine diced onion and bell peppers. Set aside
- Cook the quinoa according to the package. If you want a little extra flavor to your quinoa, try using a low-sodium broth instead of water. Once quinoa is done cooking, remove from heat and fluff with a fork.
- Add the hot cooked quinoa to the bowl of onions and bell peppers and make a layer of the quinoa on top covering the onions and bell peppers and let set for a few minutes. I like to do this to soften the onions and peppers a little.
- Drizzle about 3 tbsp of dressing over the top of the quinoa and allow to cook for about 10 minutes (don't stir yet).
- While quinoa cools, in a separate bowl place the cabbage mixture and drizzle with 1 tbsp of dressing. Gently massage the dressing into the cabbage with you hands for about a minute.
- Add the cabbage, carrots, cashew and cilantro into the bowl with the quinoa. Stir until well combined, adding more dressing if desired.
- Garnish with sesame seeds, cilantro, fresh lime juice and or green onions and enjoy! You can also add a meat, if desired