Cold Thai Quinoa Salad

This recipe is adapted from Cookie and Kate, who adapted it from the Frugal Vegan cookbook. Good stuff gets shared! My suggestion is to double the ingredients for the peanut-ginger sauce, as you may just want more of that goodness available to satisfy personal preferences. The amounts of the listed ingredients can be altered to suit your inclinations. I have added notes to help offset potential issues with phytate, which is considered an “anti-nutrient” for the way it binds important minerals and keeps them from being absorbed in most people. This dish will serve 4 people.

Salad Ingredients:

See step 1 below to prepare quinoa ahead of time.

¾ c. uncooked quinoa, soaked 8+ hours and rinsed (use filtered water)

1 ½ c. filtered water (if you alter the amount of quinoa, provide a ratio of two parts water)

2 c. shredded purple cabbage

1 c. grated carrot

1 c. thinly sliced snow peas or sugar snap peas

½ c.  chopped cilantro (optional, or make available on the side)

¼ c.  thinly sliced green onion

¼ c. chopped roasted peanuts, for garnish (use a toaster oven to lightly “toast” raw peanuts for about 5 minutes, if desired)

Peanut sauce:

¼ c. smooth peanut butter

3 T reduced-sodium tamari or soy sauce

1 T maple syrup

1 T rice vinegar

1 tsp. toasted sesame oil

1 tsp.  grated fresh ginger (add more to taste)

½ lime, juiced (about 1 ½ T)

Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

Instructions:

1.     Soak the quinoa in pure, filtered water overnight or longer (start this the day before) at room temperature to reduce its phytate content by 60-77 percent. Rinse in filtered water using a fine mesh colander.

2.    To cook the quinoa, use a medium-sized pot. Combine the rinsed quinoa and 1 ½ c. water. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer the quinoa uncovered until all water is absorbed. Remove the quinoa from heat, cover the pot and let it rest for 5 minutes. Uncover the pot and fluff the quinoa with a fork. Allow it to cool.

3.    Meanwhile, make the peanut sauce: Whisk together the peanut butter and tamari until smooth (if the peanut butter is stiff, you can warm it slightly to aid stirring). Add the remaining ingredients and whisk until smooth. If the mixture seems too thick to toss into the salad, whisk in a bit of filtered water.

4.    In a large serving bowl, combine the cooked quinoa, shredded cabbage, carrot, snow/snap peas, cilantro, and green onion. Toss to combine, then pour in a portion of the peanut sauce. Toss again until everything is lightly coated in sauce. Taste, and if it doesn’t taste quite amazing yet, add a pinch of salt and toss again. Divide into individual bowls and garnish with lightly toasted peanuts. Keep extra peanut sauce on the side to add as desired.

5.    This salad keeps for about 4 days covered and refrigerated. To prevent the chopped peanuts from getting soggy, store them separately from the rest and garnish just before serving.