Thai Quinoa Salad

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This crunchy, flavor-packed Thai Quinoa Salad is loaded with good-for-you ingredients: crisp veggies, sweet mango, fresh herbs, and a medley of greens. This simple salad is tossed with a peanut dressing that takes minutes to whip together in the blender.

Course Dinner, lunch, Main Course, Salad, Vegetarian

Cuisine Healthy

Keyword Thai Quinoa Salad

Prep Time 35 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings servings

Calories 707kcal

Cost $7.81

Ingredients

Salad

1/2 cup (90g) uncooked white quinoa
2 cups (135g) kale
1 cup (118g) edamame (See Note 1)
2 cups (127g) coleslaw mix (or shredded cabbage)
1 red pepper coarsely chopped
1 cup (78g) matchstick (or shredded) carrots
1 cup (150g) coarsely chopped mango (~1 large or 2 small mangos; See Note 2)
1/2 cup (26g) coarsely chopped cilantro (~1/2 bunch)
1/4 cup (17g) thinly sliced green onions (~3-4 onions)
1/2 cup (74g) cashews coarsely chopped roasted and lightly salted

Dressing

1/4 cup (44g) creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons hot water
1 clove garlic coarsely chopped
1 and 1/2 tablespoons EACH: rice vinegar and low sodium soy sauce
Fine sea salt and freshly cracked pepper

Instructions

QUINOA: Prepare the quinoa by rinsing it under cold water in a fine mesh sieve to remove the bitter saponin coating. Combine the quinoa and 1 cup water in a small pot over high heat. Bring to a boil, add in 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt (or to taste), reduce the heat to low, and cover the pot. Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat, keep the quinoa covered, and let stand for 10-15 minutes. Fluff with a fork and place in the fridge or freezer to cool to room temperature.
EDAMAME: Meanwhile, bring a pot with 6 cups of water to a boil, then add in 1 tablespoon fine sea salt, and the 1 cup of frozen and shelled edamame. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until edamame is tender. Drain thoroughly.
KALE: Remove the thick stems and then very thinly slice (ribbon) the kale. The smaller the shreds of kale, the better! Once it's all chopped, put it in a colander (or the base of a salad spinner) and give it a quick rinse. Rub and massage the kale for about a minute and then give it another quick rinse. Allow the kale to dry completely before using in the salad or spin in the salad spinner to dry it quickly.
VEGGIE/FRUIT PREP: Thinly slice the cabbage or measure out 2 cups of coleslaw mix. Coarsely chop the red pepper, mango, cilantro (and then loosely measure to get 1/2 cup) and the cashews. Thinly slice the green onions.
DRESSING: Place 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter, 3 tablespoons honey, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons hot water, coarsely chopped garlic clove, 1 and 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 1 and 1/2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small blender jar. Process until smooth and refrigerate while preparing everything else.
SALAD ASSEMBLY: Combine the cooked and completely cooled quinoa, shredded kale, coleslaw/cabbage, red pepper, carrots, mango, cilantro, green onions, and cashews in a large bowl. Drizzle with dressing (to desired preference; we use all the dressing, but you may prefer less; see instruction #7). Toss to combine and enjoy!
STORAGE: This salad doesn't sit well with the dressing, so only dress what will be enjoyed the same day. Store any leftover salad and dressing separately.

Video

Notes

Note 1: Edamame is sold fresh or frozen in the store, but I typically use these frozen shelled soybeans since it’s hard for me to find fresh in my area.

Note 2: We love honey mangoes (also known as Ataulfo or yellow mangoes) in this salad. They're sweeter and creamier than regular mangoes and don’t have the typical fibers throughout. To tell if your mangoes are ripe, gently squeeze the fruit. If ripe, it will give slightly. Wait until your mango is at peak ripeness to make this Thai Quinoa Salad, for the best flavor and texture. Here’s a quick and helpful visual guide on how to cut a mango!

Nutrition