Thai Quinoa Crunch Salad with Peanut Dressing

If you are vowing to eat healthier I have just the recipe for you. Whether your goal is to eat more veggies or salads, or if you’re just bored with the same foods, this Thai Quinoa Crunch Salad with Peanut Dressing will spice things up ~ literally!

This fresh and crisp salad is made with red cabbage, broccoli and carrots, romaine lettuce, cucumber and quinoa. Then it’s topped with a sweet & spicy Thai peanut dressing, fresh mint and toasted peanuts.

As always, this is a recipe with endless variations, depending on your mood, what’s in season, and overall dietary preferences.

This is also a dish you can serve as a side or add extra protein to have as a main. It’s also easy to double the recipe and keep the ingredients on hand to assemble this salad quickly on your way out the door in the mornings or get on the dinner table in a flash. More tips on this to come, keep reading!

Mint gives this salad a super-fresh taste

Red cabbage is one of my favorite veggies to use in my salads. Not only does it add crunch and color, it’s full of antioxidants and other nutrients. Savoy or napa cabbage would also work.

If raw broccoli isn’t your thing, you can omit this. Or you can buy broccoli “slaw”. And if you aren’t a mint fan, cilantro also goes well here. Or do a combo of both.

Broccoli is a great source of calcium and vitamin C

To bump up the protein and make it more of an entrée salad add grilled tofu. Or if you eat animal protein shrimp, chicken or steak also work.

This salad is great for lunch or dinner

It’s all about the dressing!

For the dressing, you can sub almond or cashew butter for the peanut butter if you prefer. Either way, be sure to use a nut butter with only the nuts (no added salt, sugar, or oils is always best). I like Santa Cruz light or dark roasted peanut butter. But the one with no palm oil.

And if you are avoiding soy, use coconut aminos in place. Be sure to also get gluten-free soy or tamari if you are gluten-free.

I always have crushed red pepper flakes on hand so I add those to the dressing for some heat. But sriracha or any other Asian hot sauce would be great in place of the red pepper flakes. Add more than 1/4 teaspoon if you prefer a spicier dressing.

Quinoa is considered a complete protein, meaning it has all nine essential amino acids

Tossing it all together…

I love cooked quinoa on green salads, but rice would also go well in this salad (or skip if you prefer grain-free). You can even add a little curry powder to the quinoa, which would be awesome with the flavors in this salad.

To meal prep this salad ahead of time make your quinoa and keep it in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.

Then make the dressing and store in individual grab-and-go containers in the refrigerator.

Wash and dry your salad greens, wrap in paper towels, and store in an air-tight bag or container in the fridge. Shred or chop the other veggies and keep these in an air-tight container as well, also in the refrigerator.

Or you could even place all of the salad ingredients in a totable container, the dressing in a separate one, then just add the dressing à la minute. Either way, just add the peanuts at the last minute so they stay crunchy.

Ready to dig in

Think you’ll make this Thai Quinoa Crunch Salad? Comment and let me know. And be sure to follow me on Instagram for more recipes!

Like this recipe? You might also like…

Crunchy Asian Slaw (vegan, GF)

Toasted Millet Salad with Lemon Miso Dressing (vegan, GF)

Print Recipe

Thai Quinoa Crunch Salad

Fresh and crisp green salad with romaine, red cabbage, broccoli, carrots, cucumber, quinoa, mint, and Thai peanut dressing

Course

Brunch, Dinner, Lunch, Salad

Cuisine

Thai

Keyword

dairy free, gluten free, healthy, salads, vegan, vegetables, vegetarian

Servings

Ingredients

Salad ingredients

• 1 cup shredded red cabbage
• 1 cup chopped raw broccoli florets
• 1 cup coarse shredded carrots
• 1 cup chopped cucumber
• 1 cup chopped romaine lettuce
• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
• 1/4 cup roasted peanuts

Dressing ingredients

• 1/4 cup natural peanut butter
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 tbsp low-sodium tamari or soy
• 2 tsp honey or sub agave, coconut sugar, or maple for vegan
• 1 tsp finely grated ginger
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 3 tbsp filtered water to thin

Course Brunch, Dinner, Lunch, Salad Cuisine Thai Keyword dairy free, gluten free, healthy, salads, vegan, vegetables, vegetarian Servings Ingredients Salad ingredients 1 cup shredded red cabbage 1 cup chopped raw broccoli florets 1 cup coarse shredded carrots 1 cup chopped cucumber 1 cup chopped romaine lettuce 1 cup cooked quinoa 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves 1/4 cup roasted peanuts Dressing ingredients 1/4 cup natural peanut butter 1 tbsp fresh lime juice 1 tbsp low-sodium tamari or soy 2 tsp honey or sub agave, coconut sugar, or maple for vegan 1 tsp finely grated ginger 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes 3 tbsp filtered water to thin

Instructions

1. in a small bowl whisk all dressing ingredients, including up to 3 tablespoons of filtered water to thin dressing to a drizzling consistency
2. in a large bowl combine the vegetables (cabbage though lettuce) and massage a little of the dressing in to soften
3. dish salad into bowls then top with quinoa, mint, peanuts and a little more of the dressing

Recipe Notes

1. serves two but recipe can easily be doubled for meal prep or cooking for a crowd
2. see blog post above for substitution recommendations

Original recipe created by Jerran Boyer
www.healthnutchefs.com