what’s your favorite part of cooking?
besides seeing the smile left on someone’s face after their first bite, i simply love to slice and dice veggies.
in my ambitious kitchen, there is just something i find so therapeutic about turning a glorious carrot into delicate julienned pieces. or skimming the skin off a cucumber + slicing it into perfect half-moons.
call me weird. i totally get it. but even with my 12-year-old knives from dull town, i find veggie prep to always be the best part of the process!
and this thai quinoa salad keeps those skills sharp {I HAD TO! PUNS!} with five different veggies that need some knife lovin.
yes, i said five veggies because the gangs all here on this colorful salad!
carrot, cucumber, edmame, scallions, cabbage + bell pepper. once their prepped + ready, they’ll dance in a zesty lime vinaigrette.
and my favorite part of eating any dish, is the crunch factor. this salad brings its ‘A’ game with chopped peanuts scattered over the top!
we do use the food processor for the cabbage. this is not for ease as much as it is to extract the beautiful purple hue from the veggie.
once the anthocyanins color leaks from the cabbage + you combine it with the quinoa, it transforms your everyday quinoa into a glorious jazzed up magenta version of itself!
don’t fret, this won’t leave your lips purple or change the quin-tastic flavor but it will simply amp up the visual impact of this delicious salad!
this salad hits all the flavor notes on its own but adding a grilled protein – chicken, shrimp, pork – is a smart move.
i like to throw a bit of the sambel oleek + a dash of soy sauce onto a chicken breast. when the salad is ready, simply lay the chicken on the grill + serve it atop a glorious heap of the thai quinoa. the smokiness from the char perfectly compliments the cool veggies + zest from the lime vinaigrette.
it’s basically a thai party in your mouth + you’ll definitely want to be the last one there!
- 3 limes, juiced
- 1 inch of fresh ginger, peeled + grated
- 2 tablespoons cane sugar {agave nectar or honey may be substituted!}
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon sambel oleek
- 4 teaspoons fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 cups quinoa, cooked
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded + chopped
- 1 carrot, peeled + shredded {save yourself some time + buy pre-shredded!}
- 1 cucumber, chopped
- 1 cup edamame,
- 5 scallions, white + green ends sliced
- 1 small head of red cabbage, cut into small wedges
- ½ cup chopped peanuts
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
- ¼ cup chopped basil
- 1 avocado, pitted + diced
- in a small mixing bowl, combine the vinaigrette ingredients + whisk until the sugar dissolves. taste for seasoning + adjust, if necessary. set aside.
- place the red cabbage into the bowl of a food processor. chop until the pieces are small - about the size of the quinoa!
- in a large mixing bowl, add the quinoa + vegetables. pour the dressing over the quinoa mix + stir to combine.
- sprinkle the cilantro, basil, avocado + peanuts over the salad. serve + enjoy!
need to know how to cook your quinoa? 1 cup dry quinoa will equal about 3 cups cooked!
- in a medium saucepan, pour in 2 cups of water or broth + bring to a rolling boil.
- while that comes to a boil, rinse your quinoa. measure out 1 cup of quinoa + place it into a fine-mesh strainer. rinse with water, using your hands to ‘scrub’ any grim away. fully drain the quinoa of water.
- once your pot is boiling, add the quinoa + lower the heat to a simmer.
- cook -covered- for 15 minutes.
- remove the pot from heat + let it stand -covered!- for 5 additional minutes.
- remove the lid + fluff the quinoa gently with a fork
- {if any liquid remains in the bottom of the pan, return the pot to low heat + cook -covered- until all the water has been absorbed.}
want to skip the prep? buy the veggies already sliced n diced from either the frozen section of your grocery store {simply defrost!}. and to be honest, buying pre-shredded carrots is ALWAYS easier + a mind saver for us all.
no quinoa? you can swap in your favorite grain of choice or even swap it into a pasta salad – how fun would that be!
wanna learn more about the purple hue from cabbage + how it gets there? this is my kind of nerdy fun!
this salad will hold up sealed in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days! just be sure to add any your avocado + peanuts when serving!
this salad is slightly adapted from the always amazing blog, foodie crush.
check out her orginal recipe + then stay for a while and check out her blog!
join along as kelly posts, pins + peruses for inspiration in her ambitious kitchen!
This looks so fresh and delicious! The dressing sounds super tasty. I’m definitely in agreement about prepping veggies – it’s so therapeutic, I love it!