Warning: chopping required.
But please don’t let that deter you from making this UNBELIEVABLY delicious vegan and gluten-free salad. It’s worth every last swing of your knife (careful for the fingers!).
I made this salad this week for a friend who is in that early don’t make me step foot in the kitchen stage in her pregnancy. I so get it. I was there, twice. And bless her heart, she’s on #3. So I brought over this salad which sounded light and flavorful and when all was said and done and chopped…I wished I had doubled the recipe.
I’ll also have you know I’m getting ready for a camping trip this weekend and we all know how well you eat on camping trips 
This is a great pre-calorie splurge dish and oh my, the dressing. I think I’m going to start making it BY THE GALLON. It’s that good.
So sharpen those knives and get ready for a treat of a salad! Really. Truly. Just trust me on this one. If I’m wrong, you know where to find me.
You'll love this vegan and gluten-free salad that is so nutritious AND full of flavor!
Ingredients
- ¾ cup uncooked quinoa
- 1-2 cups diced cabbage (I used green as it was on sale, red would be great too)
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- ½ red onion, diced
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
- ¼ cup diced green onions
- ½ cup roasted cashew halves or peanuts
- For the dressing:
- ¼ cup all natural peanut butter
- 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
- juice from 1 lime
- 3 tablespoon soy sauce (look for gluten-free in specialty stores)
- 1 tablespoon honey or agave
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
Instructions
- 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.
- Prepare dressing: Add peanut butter and honey or agave to a medium microwave safe bowl; heat in microwave for 20 seconds. Add in ginger, lime juice, soy sauce, vinegar, and both sesame and olive oil and stir until mixture is smooth and creamy. If you prefer your dressing a little thinner, add a little more olive oil or water.
- Add as much or as little dressing as you’d like to the quinoa. Or you can save the dressing for later and add when you are ready to eat.
- 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.
Notes
260 calories, 13.5 grams of fat, 28 carbs, 4 grams of fiber, 9 grams of protein
Inspired by Ambitious Kitchen.
TOTAL: $4.50 or about $.75 per serving.
Keep in mind you have to buy a lot of ingredients for this recipe but you can re-use them during the week in other dishes such as this honey peanut chicken stir fry, a quinoa salad with mango and avocado, or glazed carrots.
