Crunchy Cashew Thai Quinoa Salad [with Ginger Peanut Dressing]

Hey friends! So I have been trying really hard to get back in the swing of meal planning, because it is one of the BEST ways that I am able to stay on track. During the week, I will look through some recipes I have tried, or haven't and want to, and I plan what I'm going to eat for the next week. Then, I make a shopping list according to these meals and go on Sunday to buy everything I need. Sundays I spend meal prepping (unless you're my boyfriend who surprises his girlfriend with Seahawks tickets on Sunday morning, in which case meal prep happens on Monday). Yes - that did happen. It was a pretty ugly win, but hey...thats what we like to do over here in Sea-Town. (GO HAWKS!) Anyways, enough football....I love meal prepping. It helps me so much, and when I don't meal prep, my eating basically turns to shit. I know that if I don't prep, I will then eat out or eat what my parents make - both BAD decisions. SO, moral of the story - meal prep is your new BFF.

This week for my lunches I came across this recipe on Pinterest, and decided to try it out. I will say that it had a lot of prep time, but it was more than worth it because this recipe was SO GOOD. I could have sat there and ate the whole bowl but I knew that would be a very bad decision. Nonetheless, this recipe is bomb, and you all need to try it. I tweaked it just a bit from the original recipe to meet my needs and what I had in my house. You can stick to the original, or do it my way, or do it your own way! Who cares, it will probably turn out awesome no matter what! I love this recipe because everything is good for you and natural. No preservatives or grossness which comes from bottled salad dressings, which means no guilt. Unless you eat the whole bowl in one sitting. Then you should feel guilty. In the words of Augustus Gloop's mom, "Augoostus, save some voom for laterrr!" (Willy Wonka reference, anyone?) Anyways - back on task, Alexa...try this recipe, period. That's all you need to know.

Crunchy Cashew Thai Quinoa Salad [with Ginger Peanut Dressing]

Adapted from The Ambitious Kitchen

makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

•¾ cup uncooked quinoa

•1 ½ cup low sodium chicken broth

•1-2 cups shredded red cabbage, depending on how much crunch you like

•1 red bell pepper, diced

•½ red onion, diced

•1 cup shredded carrots

•½ cup chopped cilantro - I omitted from mine because I don't like cilantro

•¼ cup diced green onions

•½ cup cashew halves or peanuts (honey-roasted is good)

•Optional: 1 cup edamame or chickpeas

•Also ptional: I added two grilled chicken breasts to mine for some protein!

•Fresh lime, for a bit of tang

For the dressing:

•¼ cup all natural peanut butter - I used 4 tbsp of PB2 mixed with 2 tbsp water

•2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger - I used ½ tsp ground ginger

•3 tbsp liquid aminos (or low sodium soy sauce if you prefer

•1 tablespoon honey (use agave if vegan)

•1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

•1 teaspoon sesame oil

•1 teaspoon olive oil

•Water to thin, if necessary

Directions:

1. To 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.

2. To make dressing: Add peanut butter and honey or agave to a medium microwave safe bowl; heat in microwave for 20 seconds. Add in ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, and both sesame and olive oil and stir until mixture is smooth and creamy. If you want a thinner dressing, simply stir in a teaspoon or two of water or olive oil.

3. Add as much or as little dressing as you’d like to the quinoa. I always start out with a little bit of dressing and usually add more to suit my taste preferences. Alternatively you can save the dressing for later and add when you are ready to eat; however the flavors of the dressing usually soak into the salad so I love adding it to the quinoa first.

4. 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.

#maindish