Thai Quinoa Salad with Ginger Peanut Dressing
- ¾ cup uncooked quinoa
- 1-2 cups 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(honey or dry roasted are good)
- Fresh lime, for a bit of tang
- For the dressing:
- ¼ cup all natural peanut butter
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon honey (use agave if vegan)
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
To cook quinoa: Rinse quinoa with cold water in mesh strainer. 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. You should have a little over 2 cups of quinoa.
To make dressing: Add peanut butter and honey or agave to a medium microwave safe bowl; heat in microwave for 20 seconds. Add in ginger, shallot, garlic, soy sauce, fish sauce, vinegar, and both sesame and olive oil and stir until mixture is smooth and creamy.
Next 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.
