What's Up with The Buells: THAI QUINOA SALAD

Good Morning and Happy Tuesday to y'all! The wedding was fantastic, but more on that later this week. For now, here is a DELICIOUS quinoa recipe for you...

I was thinking about my diet the other day and I really need to step up the veggies. I tried this recipe b/c it is packed full of 'em! It isn't exactly a quick weeknight meal unless you food prep that morning of the night before. I always find myself saying "If you want to eat heathy, you are going to have to chop sh!t up!" and sometimes all the darn chopping can be time consuming. Oh, and for those who are gluten free, this recipe is too! :)

Ingredients
¾ cup uncooked quinoa
1-2 cups shredded red cabbage, depending on how much crunch you like
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-roasted is good)
Optional: 1 cup edamame or chickpeas
Fresh lime, for a bit of tang
For the dressing:
¼ cup all natural peanut butter
2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
3 tablespoon soy sauce, gluten-free if desired
1 tablespoon honey (use agave if vegan)
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon olive oil
Water to thin, if necessary

Instructions

FOOD PREP:

Chop up ingrediants

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.

MAKE DRESSING: Add peanut butter and honey or agave to a medium microwave safe bowl; heat in microwave for 20 seconds. Add in ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, and both sesame and olive oil and stir until mixture is smooth and creamy. If you want a thinner dressing, simply stir in a teaspoon or two of water or olive oil.

ADD THE DRESSING TO THE QUONIA:

Add as much or as little dressing as you’d like to the quinoa. (I added it all)

MIX IN:

Next mix the 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.

Nutrition Information
Serving size: 1/6th of recipe Calories: 260 Fat: 13.5g Carbohydrates: 27.7g Sugar: 7g Fiber: 4.3gProtein: 8.6g

Recipe from Ambitious Kitchen