My husband and I stopped eating red meat and pork a few months ago. And lately, I have been making more and more Asian inspired dishes. So this recipe seemed perfect for us- it has the Asian flavors we love and protein from the quinoa and edamame without having any meat in it.
This salad was very good. The only thing I think I would change in the future would be to leave out the cucumber. It just didn't do anything for me. I think it was because my quinoa was still pretty warm when I added it to the veggies, and it made the cucumbers a little less crisp. I think next time I will use a yellow bell pepper in place of the cucumber. My suggestion would be to have the quinoa close to room temperature when making this salad.
Some random musings and tips about the ingredients in this salad...
I love the rich, nutty flavor and aroma of sesame oil. In fact, I upped the amount the original recipe called for because it just didn't have enough of that nutty flavor otherwise. Make sure you use the dark or toasted sesame oil- it's more flavorful.
I recently learned to like cilantro. In fact, I grew some from seed this year. I used to leave it out of all my recipes, because I just didn't care for the taste. But since growing it myself, I've been slowly trying it out in my recipes, and now I actually like it! It's amazing to me how much my tastes have changed in the couple years since starting this blog. I used to not like green onions either, and now I use them all the time. I even have some growing in my garden. Did you know that when you use green onions, you can place the leftover roots in either a cup of water or in the garden, and they will grow again? You can! I've been doing it for a few years now.
My favorite ingredient in this salad is the edamame. I still can't quite figure out how to describe what edamame tastes like, but I love it. If you've never tried it, this is your chance! Same thing goes for the quinoa. Both of these ingredients have become staples in my house. I buy frozen edamame that has already been removed from the pod. For the quinoa, I buy Bob's Red Mill brand, which is already washed! To preserve freshness, I keep my open bag of quinoa in the fridge and any extra bags in the freezer until ready to use.
Ingredients
Salad:
1 cup quinoa, rinsed thoroughly
2 cups water
1 cup red cabbage, chopped
1 cup edamame, shelled and cooked
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup carrots, chopped or shredded
1 cup cucumber, diced
Dressing:
1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce sauce
1-2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped green onion
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or more to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
In a medium saucepan, combine quinoa and water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and cook 12-15 minutes, until the water is absorbed. Fluff with a fork and set aside to cool slightly.
Meanwhile, combine the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine.
Place the quinoa, cabbage, edamame, bell pepper, carrots and cucumber in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over the quinoa mixture and stir to combine. Serve cold or at room temperature.
Serves 4 as a main dish.
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