Showing posts with label salad. Show all posts

Thai Quinoa Salad

This recipe is a slight adaptation of the Thai Chicken Quinoa Bowl from How Sweet It Is.  I omitted the chicken and carrots, almost doubled the quinoa, and used cashews instead of peanuts.  Otherwise, it is the same - and it is good! Oh, and healthy, even.



What you will need:

1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed (I used 3/4 of the quinoa after it was cooked)
1/3 cup shelled edamame
1/3 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped cashews (or peanuts)
1/4 cup freshly chopped cilantro

sauce:
2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon canned coconut milk
1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon creamy peanut butter
1 garlic clove
1/2 lime, juice of
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

Cook quinoa according to package.  Meanwhile, whisk together all ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl.  When quinoa is done, add sauce to it and mix well.  Stir in edamame, onions, half of the cashews and half of the cilantro.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and top with remaining cashews and cilantro.
cashews cilantro edamame
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Homemade Carrot Ginger Dressing

So I have to admit - I loooove the ginger dressing you get at sushi restaurants.  I love it so much I often briefly consider drinking the leftovers from my bowl when my salad is gone - but instead just get a little sad inside when they carry my "empty" bowl away.


While my homemade version doesn't leave me wanting to drink what's left, it's actually really good and very healthy - made mostly from carrots and other fresh ingredients.

What you will need:

5-7 medium sized carrots, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
2 tablespoons onion (I used red)
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon agave nectar
1/4 teaspoon salt

Fill a large saucepan with water and carrots.  Bring to a boil over medium high heat.  Boil about 15 minutes or until the carrots are tender.

While carrots are cooking, combine other ingredients in a food processor or blender until well mixed.  Add in cooked carrots and mix again until smooth.  I like that this made a very thick dressing, but you can add water until it reaches the consistency that you like.  Serves 8-10. Enjoy!
carrot dressing ginger
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Kale Salad with Avocado and Lemon

Have you been looking for a way to add more nutrients into your diet, but find yourself unwilling to buy that big bag of dark green kale from the grocery store?  This is a very quick and easy way to disguise the bitterness of kale but still get the benefits from eating it, including high amounts of fiber, iron, vitamins K, A, and C, calcium, and antioxidants.  Plus you get the added health benefits of avocado (heart healthy, helps lower cholesterol, shown to reduce the appearance of certain types of cancer) and fresh lemon juice (aids digestion, lowers blood pressure).



ALL you need is:

2 large handfuls of kale, rinsed and de-stemmed (enough kale to fill a medium/large salad bowl)
1 avocado, peeled and pitted
1/2 lemon, juice of

After you have rinsed the kale, remove the leaves from the ribs and put leaves into your salad bowl, discarding ribs (stems).  I used a bag of pre shredded kale from Trader Joe's, but if you are using whole leaves, make sure you tear them into bite sized pieces.

Add avocado and lemon juice to bowl and mix ingredients with hands, much like you are kneading dough.  This allows every bite of kale to be covered in the avocado and lemon, unlike many salads where you only get the dressing in certain bites.  The avocado does a great job balancing out the bitterness of the kale.  Enjoy!
avocado kale lemon
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