Asian Veggie & Quinoa Salad (Vegan)

Featured at the Chinese New Year Potluck, this recipe is  great to make for spring picnics and parties and is also a great dish to make on the weekend and bring in for lunch. this recipe was based off of the following recipe: http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/asian-quinoa-salad/

Prep Time: 30 min.

Ingredients (4~6 servings):

Dressing: I add 1/2 bottle of Stonewall Sesame Ginger Dressing (from Fresh Market)
(If you are not a ginger fan, add your favorite Asian-style salad dressing. Try to avoid ones with preservatives and high amounts of sugar if you can. Fresh dressings can often be found refrigerated with the pre-made salad bags in the grocery store and are worth the extra dollar/two.
You don't need to add dressing for this to be a tasty dish. If you prefer NO dressing, add 1/4 chopped green or white onion/shallots, 1 tsp pepper, and/or 1/4 tsp fresh grated ginger to add zest. If you have extra time and are feeling adventurous, make your own dressing with the link posted above).

Cooked:

1 cup quinoa, cooked in 2 cups water & 1/4 tsp. salt

(Any kind of unseasoned/plain quinoa will do, I prefer Ancient Harvest organic, tri-color Harmony Blend)

1 cup shelled and cooked edamame 

(Any form brand will do, just make sure they are unsalted, buying frozen & microwaving is easiest)

Fresh: *buy organic &/wash thoroughly to reduce pesticide exposure*

2 cups of mild-tasting leafy greens

 (Pick your favorite- I have used both raw baby spinach and Earthbound Farm's Zen salad green blend)

6-7 chopped/diced mini sweet multi-colored peppers OR 1 red bell pepper

(sweet peppers add great flavor; remove seeds and tops when chopping)
1/2 cup shredded carrots 

(You can finely chop/shred baby carrots/whole carrots in a food processor if you don't want to buy a bag of shredded carrots)
1 cup diced cucumber

(I add an entire medium sized, mostly peeled cucumber)

1 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro (optional)

(Adds fresh flavor; I remove leaves from stems before chopping)

Prep Instructions:

1. Cook Quinoa. Follow packaging instructions is fine, but I have found these directions to be a quinoa-prep gold standard: "Add water, quinoa, and salt to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for 5 minutes. Turn the heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until water is absorbed. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork." Let cool for ~10min (can put in refrigerator to save time).

2. Cook edamame according to packaging if using pre-shelled frozen edamame. 

If you buy fresh/frozen whole edamame, bring 3 cups of water and 1/2 tsp salt to boil, then add edamame and cook until tender (6-7 min.). Strain and split open,releasing peas from their pods and let cool in small bowl. 

3. While the quinoa is simmering, chop up the fresh veggies and cilantro and add each of the fresh ingredients to a large mixing bowl. 

4. Once quinoa and edamame have cooled and are at about room temperature, add them to mixing bowl.

5. Stir in dressing of your choice, mixing well.

6. Serve at room temp/chilled. Try to eat within 72hrs of prep. 

Be creative with this dish! If you add different veggies/change-up the dressing, let us know! Personalize this dish & post in comments! 

Happy Spring Cooking :)