Looking for a fresh and vibrant salad that’s as easy to make as it is delicious? This Crunchy Thai-Inspired Quinoa Salad is packed with fresh ingredients and a ton of flavor.
This Crunchy Thai-Inspired Quinoa Salad features crunchy veggies, delicious quinoa, and a zesty peanut dressing that really ties everything together. Plus, if you want to make things even easier, you can skip the homemade dressing and shortcut with SideDish Creamy Sesame dressing. It’s a Whole30-approved dressing made with no seed oils and 100% avocado oil. This is a great option if you want to use a peanut-free dressing! You can snag it right here, and get 10% off with code ALEX10.
The best part is that this salad holds up great in the fridge, making it a great option for meal prep at the beginning of the week. If stored in airtight containers, it stays really fresh in the refrigerator for three days.
ingredients:
- Quinoa
- Red Cabbage
- Kale
- Matchstick Carrots
- Red Bell Pepper
- Green Onions
- Cilantro
- Frozen Edamame
- Peanuts
- Creamy Unsweetened Almond or Peanut Butter
- Coconut Aminos or soy sauce if preferred
- Rice Vinegar
- Limes
- Sriracha
- Honey
- Sesame Oil
- Grated Ginger
step-by-step:
step one: cook the quinoa
Rinse the quinoa under cold water. In a medium saucepan, combine quinoa and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes or until the quinoa is cooked and the water is absorbed. Remove from heat and let it sit, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and let it cool.
step two: prepare the dressing
In a small bowl, whisk together the almond butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice, sriracha honey, sesame oil, and grated ginger. Add 1-2 tablespoons of warm water to thin the dressing to your desired consistency.
step three: assemble the salad
In a large bowl, combine the cooked quinoa, cabbage, kale, carrots, bell pepper, green onions, cilantro, and edamame. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss until well-coated.
step four: serve or store!
Divide the salad into four portions and top with the chopped peanuts. Store in airtight containers and refrigerate for up to 3 days. This salad can be enjoyed cold or at room temperature.
Recipe FAQ:
Definitely! You can use soy sauce in place of the coconut aminos if you prefer.
It sure does, for up to three days! I recommend storing it in airtight containers to keep it as fresh as possible.
You can absolutely use more sriracha if you want to increase the spice!
I hope you love this vibrant salad as much as I do! Let me know what you think after you try it!
Looking for more great salad recipes? Try these!
Lemon Chicken, Orzo, and Chickpea Salad
Mexican-Inspired Chopped Salad
Cucumber Salad with Crispy Chickpeas
Crunchy Thai-Inspired Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
For the Salad:
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 cup red cabbage thinly sliced
- 1 cup kale de-ribbed and finely chopped
- 1 cup matchstick carrots
- 1 red bell pepper thinly sliced and cut in half
- 2 green onions sliced thinly on the diagonal
- ½ cup cilantro leaves roughly chopped
- 1 cup frozen shelled edamame, thawed
- ½ cup roughly chopped peanuts
For the Peanut Dressing:
- 1/4 cup creamy unsweetened almond or peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons coconut aminos sub soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoon sriracha or more to taste
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- 1-2 tablespoons warm water to thin, as needed
Instructions
- Rinse the quinoa under cold water.
- In a medium saucepan, combine quinoa and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes or until the quinoa is cooked and the water is absorbed.
- Remove from heat and let it sit, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and let it cool.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the almond butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice, sriracha honey, sesame oil, and grated ginger.
- Add 1-2 tablespoons of warm water to thin the dressing to your desired consistency.
- In a large bowl, combine the cooked quinoa, cabbage, kale, carrots, bell pepper, green onions, cilantro and edamame. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss until well coated.
- Divide the salad into four portions and top with the chopped peanuts. Store in airtight containers and refrigerate for up to 3 days. This salad can be enjoyed cold or at room temperature.
Nutrition
The post Crunchy Thai-Inspired Quinoa Salad appeared first on The Defined Dish.