Asian Quinoa Salad
I have been on a quinoa KICK recently. I honestly forget about it sometimes because Adam’s not the biggest fan – but every time I make it, I remember why I love it so much. You can pair it with literally ANY flavors, it’s a great source of protein, and it makes the best leftovers. Pre-made lunches all week that taste good AND fill me up? Yes please!
I actually got the idea to make a few quinoa salads for you guys when I was brainstorming recipes for a potential partnership. I’m still crossing fingers that will work out, so if you’re curious about the quinoa poll I did on stories, I’m holding on to my Southwestern Salad idea for that! Stay tuned 😉
As for this recipe, I love cooking with Asian flavors because they’re so good with vegetables. Even if we’re not in the mood to be healthy, we’ll whip up a stir fry for dinner packed with peppers, onions, broccoli, you name it – and all of a sudden, we’re happily eating our veggies! Which is exactly why I wanted to go vegetarian with this salad instead of adding chicken or any other meat. You can certainly skip the tofu if you don’t like it, but this method might change your mind. The bite size pieces come out crispy and a little chewy – not soggy, like we’ve all had before.
As for the dressing, I tried to use ingredients that I pretty much always have on hand. One of them is a somewhat new discovery – ginger paste! I love fresh ginger, but I rarely use the entire piece that I buy before it goes bad. Now this tube just hangs out in my fridge until I need it for a recipe like this. SO convenient!
WARNING: If you don’t want leftovers, cut the recipe in half!
Once you toss everything together and start splitting it up into individual containers, you’ll see that this makes a lot of food! I considered cutting this recipe in half from the start, but I really liked having my lunches ready to go all week long. Just cut the recipe in half if you don’t want that many leftovers!
Pro Tip: You can never go wrong with extra sriracha on top!
Are you a fan of quinoa salads?
Would you be interested in a southwestern one, too? I’m open to any other ideas in the comments, too!
Asian Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
- 1 block extra firm tofu
- 1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/4 tsp garlic salt
- 1 cup dry quinoa
- 1 cup shelled edamame
- 2 cups shredded cabbage (I love purple cabbage in this recipe!)
- 1 red pepper, chopped
- 1/2 cup blanched slivered almonds
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 1/4 cup soy sauce (or coconut aminos)
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1.5 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1.5 tsp ginger paste (you can also use freshly minced ginger!)
- 2 tsp sriracha
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cut the tofu into bite sized squares. Add to a bowl with coconut oil, cornstarch and garlic salt. Toss to coat. (You could also add other flavorings to the bowl if you want to!)
3. Spread on a lined baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, flipping halfway through.
4. Make the quinoa according to your package's instructions.
5. While the quinoa and tofu cook, prep the edamame (defrost if frozen), cabbage (chop if you didn't buy it pre-shredded), red pepper (chop into bite sized pieces), and green onions (chop the white and a little green). Add all of those to a bowl with the slivered almonds and quinoa.
6. In a separate bowl, combine soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, ginger paste (or fresh ginger), and sriracha. Whisk until smooth.
7. Once the tofu is done cooking, add that to the bowl with the quinoa.
8. Pour the dressing over all of the ingredients and toss to combine.
9. Store in airtight containers for up to 5 days. Enjoy!
Notes
- If you can't find extra firm tofu, or you just want to get extra moisture out of your tofu, wrap it in a towel and put a cast iron skillet on top of it for 10-20 minutes before cutting and cooking!
- This makes a large amount, so if you know you won't eat it all throughout the week, just cut the recipe in half!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 5 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 351Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 848mgCarbohydrates: 35gFiber: 7gSugar: 5gProtein: 20g
Want to save this Asian Quinoa Salad recipe for later? Pin the image below!
PS. You might also like Rustic Quinoa Tabouli, Veggie Quinoa Bowl with Peanut Sauce, and Crock Pot Vegetable Quinoa Soup.
