Crunchy Cashew Thai Quinoa Salad with Ginger Peanut Dressing

This is a delicious vegan and easily gluten-free salad with Thai flavors.

INGREDIENTS

¾ cup uncooked quinoa
1-2 cups shredded red cabbage
1 cup shredded kale
1 red bell pepper, diced
½ red onion, diced
1 cup shredded carrots
½ cup chopped cilantro
¼ cup diced green onions
½ cup cashew halves or peanuts
Fresh lime, for a bit of tang

Dressing:

¼ cup all natural peanut butter
2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
3 tablespoon soy sauce, gluten-free if desired
1 tablespoon honey or a few drops liquid stevia
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon olive oil
Water to thin, if necessary

INSTRUCTIONS

• 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.
• To make dressing: Add peanut butter and honey or stevia to a medium size bowl; heat in microwave or stove top until soft and slightly warm . 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.
• 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.
• Next fold in red pepper, onion, cabbage, kale, carrots, and cilantro into the quinoa. Garnish with cashews and green onions.
• Serve chilled or at room temperature with lime wedges if desired.