Thai Quinoa Salad
BYE 2018! Oh how I love closure. I also love focusing on the positive, you know, your highlight reel for the year. It included me getting way out of my comfort zone, making shit happen and cultivating a new home in a new (for me) land. There was also lots of great music and food. Like this salad and playlist, of course! I still don’t recall how I discovered this recipe from Crazy Vegan Kitchen but I made it a TON this year. It’s the perfect dish to bring to any potluck because it feeds a lot of people and it’s friendly to almost every dietary need. It’s also one of those recipes that tastes good, feels healthy and is filling. Here’s my slightly modified version of it along with a playlist of some of my favorite tunes of 2018. Wishing you all a very Happy New Year!
Thai Quinoa Salad
1 cup quinoa
1.5 cups vegetable broth
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 small red onion, diced
1 package firm tofu, drained, pressed and cubed
3 cups napa cabbage, chopped
1/2 cup mint leaves, chopped
1/2 cup Thai basil leaves, chopped
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1/3 cup peanuts, chopped
Dressing:
3 tablespoons maple syrup
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons rice vinegar
Juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons peanut butter
2 stalks lemongrass, tough outer casing removed, chopped
2 cloves of garlic
1 Thai red chili, seeds removed (or a jalapeno)
Salt to taste
- Combine the quinoa and vegetable broth in a small pot and bring to a boil. Cover with a lid, reduce to simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork once it’s done.
- Place the remaining ingredients (red bell pepper to peanuts) in a large bowl. Add the cooked quinoa and mix to combine.
- For the dressing, add ingredients in order listed above to a blender and blitz away until it’s smooth.
- Dress the salad and toss.