A tasty treat like this Asian Quinoa Salad is great to cook in bulk, separate into single serving containers, and store in your fridge if you want a light, healthy snack throughout the week. This salad is one of those salads that’s so good for you that it’s totally cool to sneak in more than one serving per day. You get a substantial serving of protein from both the quinoa and the edamame, and feel free to sneak in some extra veggies in the form of snap peas or cabbage to keep your vitamin and mineral intake up. You could even toss in some slivered nuts for extra goodness. The nice thing about a recipe like this is that it’s so simple that you can customize it for your own palette. Play around!
Asian Quinoa Salad
Serves 6
- 2 cups uncooked quinoa
- 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 cup cooked, shelled edamame
- 1⁄4 cup chopped green onion
- 1 1⁄2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh mint
- 1⁄2 cup chopped carrot
- 1⁄2 cup chopped red bell pepper
- 1⁄8 teaspoon chile pepper flakes
- 1⁄2 teaspoon grated orange zest
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh Thai basil
- Juice of 1⁄2 orange
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1⁄8 teaspoon cracked black pepper
Rinse the quinoa (if not pre-rinsed). In a small covered pot, bring the quinoa and vegetable broth to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Cooked quinoa should be slightly al dente; it is ready when most of the grains have uncoiled and you can see the unwound germ. Let the quinoa sit in the covered pot for about 5 minutes. Fluff gently with a fork and transfer the cooked quinoa to a large bowl, then mix in the remaining ingredients. Cool to room temperature and serve. This dish can also be served chilled.
This recipe is from The DASH Diet Cookbook.
No comments yet.