Despite the fact that most of the recipes I publish tick all the boxes when it comes to dessert, behind the scenes there’s a large amount of vegetables and salad.
Coming up with new recipe content on a regular basis is hard work, so I made a decision a few weeks ago to try publish more savoury recipes from the every day food we eat at home, so this Peanut & Quinoa Salad is a start. It’s super crunchy and packed with chopped baby spinach, carrots, red cabbage, coriander, salted peanuts and sesame seeds.
If peanut butter in savoury dishes is your thing, you’re going to love the dressing which goes along with it. It’s salty, tangy, and has a lovely fresh zing thanks to grated ginger. What I love the most about it is that it can also be used as a dipping sauce for things like fresh spring rolls (the kind you don’t deep-fry), or carrot, cucumber and celery sticks for a quick snack.
To make this particular peanut dressing I used Buttanutt’s new 100% Peanut Butter. It’s incredibly rich and creamy, which is crucial when making a good peanut dressing. A splash of soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar and freshly-grated ginger, and it’s done!
Peanut Quinoa Salad
This salad can be made ahead of time and stored (undressed) in the fridge for up to 3 days. You’ll also need to pre-cook and cool the quinoa before assembling it. The ingredients listed below are not a hard and fast rule, so if you want to add things like chickpeas, lentils, chopped lettuce, spring onions, sunflower seeds or cucumber, go right ahead! The quantity below makes enough for about 5-6 servings.
Salad Ingredients
- 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 small red cabbage, shredded
- large bag baby spinach, chopped
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and julienned
- large handful coriander, chopped
- 3 spring onions, thinly sliced
- 1 cup peanuts, roasted
- 3 tbsp sesame seeds
Peanut Dressing Ingredients
- 1/4 cup Buttanutt 100% Peanut Butter
- 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp honey or maple syrup
- 2 tsp grated ginger
- 2 tbsp water
Method
- Cook the quinoa according to the instructions on the packet. Allow to cool to room temperature or store overnight in the fridge to cool completely.
- Make the peanut dressing by combining all the ingredients in a bowl and whisking until smooth. If the dressing is a little thick you can thin out with another tablespoon or two of water. Set aside or store in the fridge if not using immediately.
- To assemble the salad combine the cooked quinoa with the rest of the salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss well.
- Serve drizzled with the peanut dressing.
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