Veggie Thai Quinoa Salad with Peanut Dressing

thai quinoa salad
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Looking for a dish that is exploding with flavors and color? Get the recipe for this Thai Quinoa Salad with Peanut Dressing below for Meatless Monday or when you’re craving a little more veggies in your day!

This past Christmas, I got all kinds of new recipe books and kitchen toys to play with and I couldn’t wait to put them to use. I guess it would be safe to say that I can now be classified as a professional foodie based on the amount of food-related gifts I received from family. But, I’m not complaining and am ready to up my game in the kitchen and here on the blog to bring you even more delicious and healthy recipes to help you achieve your health goals!

First up on the FitLiving agenda was to test out my new food processor. Up until this point, I have been using my grandmother’s. I absolutely loved the thought of having it in my kitchen, but  I knew it just didn’t work as efficiently as a new one might. And boy, was I right! In a matter of seconds, I had shredded carrots like I’ve never seen before ready to be used in today’s recipe.

If you can’t find me in the next few days, you might want to check the kitchen because I will probably be whirling away trying out the different blade attachments, making nut butters (like this cashew butter from Fit Mitten Kitchen) and I might even get a little fancy and attempt homemade bread with the kneading attachment.

Here’s the link to the food processor I got, just in case you need to up your own game in the kitchen!

Can you tell I am just a bit excited about my new kitchen gadgets? Although I could probably spend an entire post raving about them, let’s get to today’s recipe, shall we?

Veggie Thai Quinoa Salad with Peanut Dressing

During the holiday season, I may have indulged in a little too many sweets and treats, so once the new year hit I was more than ready to get back to my healthy ways of eating. A few weeks ago, my plate might have lacked color and nutrients, but today it is vibrant and packed full of nutrients!

Not only is this Veggie Thai Quinoa Salad packed with well, veggies, it also full of protein from the edamame and quinoa. It is a delicious dish for vegetarians and meat eaters alike and the perfect meal for your next Meatless Monday! And the best part is, it can be prepped, prepared and on the table in less than 30 minutes.

Let’s first look at the nutritional breakdown of some of the superstar ingredients in this Veggie Thai Quinoa Salad.

  • Quinoa: A gluten-free grain option, quinoa is packed with protein, fiber and is a great source of manganese. One of the few plant-based complete proteins, this superfood grain is known to have anti-inflammatory health benefits, improve digestion and increase heart health.
  • Carrots: Has anyone ever told you that if you eat too many carrots, you will turn orange? While that might be true (in extreme cases) don’t let that stop you from consuming this powerful veggie! Carrots are known for their ridiculously high amount of vitamin A and are also a good source of vitamin C, both of which improve eye health, boost immunity and can help reduce the signs of premature aging.
  • Purple (Red) Cabbage: I used to steer clear of cabbage because I was under the impression that it was smelly, but when consumed raw, it is delicious! Cabbage is an excellent source of vitamin K, vitamin C and vitamin B6 and is known to promote strong bones, has anti-inflammatory health benefits and can help prevent certain cancers.
  • Edamame: One serving (1/2 cup shelled) of edamame provides approximately 9 grams of fiber, 11 grams of protein and a healthy dose of iron, especially given it’s a plant-based food. The health benefits include: increased energy, cardiovascular health, decreased chronic inflammation and increased bone health.

Now that I’ve convinced you that this salad is insanely good for you and should be added to your dinner (or lunch) rotation ASAP, let’s walk through the steps of how to make it.

veggie thai quinoa salad with peanut dressing

Step 1: Prepare your veggies.

If you have a food processor, shred about 8 carrots to yield 1 cup. If you don’t, no worries! Just cut them into matchstick-like pieces or thinly slice them; whatever suits your fancy. Next, thinly slice about a quarter of a whole purple cabbage and a bell pepper. Add the carrots, cabbage and pepper to a large mixing bowl along with the edamame, chopped cilantro and scallions.

Step 2: Mix it up.

Add 2 cups of cooked quinoa and roughly chopped peanuts to the veggies and mix until well combined.

Step 3: Make the dressing!

In a mason jar, combine the peanut butter, rice vinegar, soy sauce, honey, lime, freshly grated ginger, garlic clove and canola oil. Screw on the lid and shake vigorously until it looks like one harmonious dressing.

thai peanut dressing

*Cooking Tip: I ran out of peanut butter, so I used almond butter (preferred if you are looking for anti-inflammatory) this time around and I might even like it better than the peanut butter! Use whatever you have on hand – it will be delicious no matter what.

Step 4: Assemble!

Drizzle the dressing onto the veggie quinoa mixture and toss until evenly coated. When ready to serve, garnish with extra cilantro, scallions, and/or peanuts. Enjoy!

thai quinoa salad with peanut dressing
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thai quinoa salad

Veggie Thai Quinoa Salad with Peanut Dressing

★★★★★ 5 from 5 reviews
  • Author: FitLiving Eats by Carly Paige
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 4 Servings 1x
  • Category: Main
  • Method: n/a
  • Cuisine: Thai
  • Diet: Vegetarian
Print Recipe

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 2 cups cooked quinoa
  • 1 cup shredded carrots
  • 1 cup shredded cabbage
  • 1 bell pepper, thinly sliced
  • 1 cup cooked and shelled edamame
  • 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
  • 1/2 cup green onions, sliced
  • 1/2 cup unsalted peanuts, roughly chopped

Dressing:

  • 1/4 cup all-natural peanut (or almond) butter
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
  • 1 garlic clove, minced or grated
  • 3 tablespoons canola oil

Instructions

  1. Combine the first 8 ingredients in a bowl.
  2. Place all of the dressing ingredients in a separate bowl and whisk until well incorporated.
  3. Slowly drizzle the dressing over the veggie quinoa mixture until desired amount has been reached. Garnish with extra peanuts and cilantro. Enjoy!

Equipment

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 2 cups
  • Calories: 414
  • Sugar: 19g
  • Sodium: 529mg
  • Fat: 25g
  • Saturated Fat: 3g
  • Unsaturated Fat: 20g
  • Trans Fat: 0g
  • Carbohydrates: 39g
  • Fiber: 7g
  • Protein: 13g
  • Cholesterol: 0mg

-Carly Paige

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85 Responses

  1. I TOTALLY over indulged over the holidays. But it’s pretty much how it goes, right?! I love this salad Carly! I may sub the peanut butter with almond butter. I cannot wait to make it! Enjoy your new food processor (love mine)!!

    Reply

    1. Yes! It seems like you really can’t avoid it. I did indulge *less* this year, but still indulged! That’s a great choice – I might even like the almond butter better! Happy New Year, Chrissa!

      Reply

    1. Yes! I am a huge sucker for them and always have to order the peanut sauce when I’m at a restaurant 🙂

      Reply

    1. You should! And don’t mind putting it a bowl for serving… just eat it straight out of the mixing bowl 😉

      Reply

  17. You had me at “Thai”… and “Peanut Dressing” for that matter. The photos are gorgeous too, and love that you including a nutritional breakdown 🙂

    Reply

  21. This looks amazing! I am all over veggie salad, and love Thai. I’m going to have to switch up my Thai salads with this one soon! Yay for kitchen gadgets! I have a love hate with my food processor. I love my small one but my larger one for shredding and prepping veggies, while great for bigger jobs, is a pain to clean sometimes and just so bulky to pull out I don’t use it as much as I use to. My family wants to buy me a mandolin, and we went to look at them with the gift card since they were torn between a couple but now I’m over analyzing it since I want it for the same reasons I had to have my food processor. Oh and it’s especially great for raw desserts and power balls/bites, enjoy your new toy!

    Reply

    1. Oh, yes I don’t have one of those yet! However, I got a spiralizer too which will thinly slice certain things. If I could have a kitchen stocked with them all, that would just be heaven! The large one is a pain to clean and takes up a lot of space in the dishwasher, but it works!

      Reply

    1. It is so so good on many things! Plus, this one is healthy, so you don’t have to feel guilty if you poured a little too much 😉

      Reply

  25. I’m in LOVE with this recipe – it looks so good! I’m trying to detox a bit after a few too many Christmas indulgences as well, so I look forward to giving it a try 🙂

    Happy new year chick!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  32. Looks so so good and I love that you gave the breakdown of nutritional value, too! My husband is more of the “cook” in our household and a dear friend of ours gave him several cookbooks, too, for Christmas! He had a week off and we tasted several wonderful meals…. more to come! 🙂

    Reply

  34. This salad looks so darn good! Pretty much everything you put in it is a fav of mine… especially the quinoa! Thank you for sharing another great and healthy recipe!

    Reply