Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Asian Quinoa Salad
As I mentioned in my burger post, I recently guest-posted for Beth of Eat.Drink.Smile. while she spends time with her little bundle of joy. I got to meet him when I delivered this quinoa salad for her.
I knew I wanted to bring her a dish that would be well rounded in vegetables, protein, but also have flavor so you’d want to eat it! Personally when I look for healthy fuel for my body, I think of quinoa, because it’s a great source of protein. I thought about bringing her my favorite quinoa dish, but I wanted to something with more veggies. So, I turned to my bookmarked recipes and found one from Weight Watchers. I’ve made another quinoa recipe from Weight Watchers and loved it, so I thought I’d give this one a go. To add a bit more visual pop, I used a mixture of red & white quinoa. As far as I know, there’s no added nutritional value in red quinoa. I liked the flavor of this, but felt it needed a bit more pop, so I added some lime juice & zest to perk it up. Unfortunately, the red cabbage (which is often more purple than red) will turn the quinoa a purple/gray color before too long. It’s a good thing I snapped the photos right after making it! I liked this dish, and loved all the veggies. I will say, I think when I make this again, I’ll just sub shelled edamame for the sugar snap peas. I love edamame, and that way I wouldn’t need to spend the time trimming the sugar snap peas. If you were to use edamame, and a bag of cabbage mix, this meal would come together even quicker! I’m glad I have another quinoa dish in my reportoire!
Asian Quinoa Salad
Yield: Approximately four servings, about 1 heaping cup each
You could simplify this recipe by using bagged coleslaw mix.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup(s) canned chicken broth, or water
3/4 cup uncooked quinoa, well-rinsed
1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp orange marmalade
2 tsp dark sesame oil
1 Tbsp ginger root, fresh, minced
1 tsp kosher salt
zest and juice of 1 lime
1 cup uncooked sugar snap peas, trimmed and halved, OR shelled edamame
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup shredded red cabbage
1 small sweet red pepper, thinly sliced
3 Tbsp cilantro, fresh, chopped
2 Tbsp uncooked scallions, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp sesame seeds, toastedDirections:
In a small saucepan, combine broth and quinoa; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, to make dressing, in a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, marmalade, oil, ginger, salt and lime zest & juice; set aside.
After quinoa has cooked for 10 minutes, toss in snap peas (or edamame) to partially steam them; cover and simmer until most of liquid has been absorbed, about 5 to 6 minutes.
Remove pan from heat and stir in carrots, cabbage, peppers and dressing; mix to thoroughly combine. Garnish with cilantro, scallions and sesame seeds. Serve warm, room temperature or chilled.
This sounds delicious! With the move coming up, my kitchen is almost completely packed and we have been eating take out every night. I am going to be in in desperate need of something healthy and tasty this weekend!!
Oh, that looks delicious. I’m always looking for interesting way to incorporate quinoa into more meals.
This sounds awesome, Erin. I’m obsessed with quinoa and these flavors are right up my alley!
I’m slowly venturing into the wonderful world of quinoa. I’ll have to try this — looks great!!
We loved both the quinoa dishes – they were such a nice change of pace from the heavy foods we’d been getting. I do have to say though that your favorite, the Lemon Cumin Quinoa with Avocado, Raisins, and Apricots was also MY favorite!
I will be making a batch of it as soon as my life is back to normal!!
This sounds like such a great combo of flavor to go with the quinoa! Thanks for sharing, Erin!
Lovely and super healthy! Bookmarked it!
i am your newest follower! I just caught myself scrolling and scrolling and scrolling…. and pinning on pinterest! love your recipes!
I love quinoa too. Such a great filler and protein source. This looks perfect for a new mama.
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