I brought this quinoa salad to a holiday gingerbread house decorating party last month and it was such a hit! And just let me clarify, there were no kids at the party. It’s my girl friends and I who get together every year with wine, potluck dishes and all the decorating supplies. We talk, sip, snack and then make gingerbread houses. I love this little tradition! My gingerbread houses are not masterpieces. My father is an architect, so I really should be better at this. But I’m lucky if it stays upright long enough to survive the car ride home. My house this year made it home but my little ones were oohing and aahing and poking at it the next day so the roof broke a bit and went a little lopsided. Yup, I’m blaming the kids for that. It totally would have stayed up on its own.
Back to the salad. I brought this to the party and everyone loved it! They wanted to know if the recipe was up on the blog and I had to say no, I hadn’t even fully written it out yet, was still just playing with it. But after the rave reviews, I knew I had to get it up to share with all of you! So of course, I went and made it again the next week to tweak and photograph. And let me just say, it was fine by me to eat on it all week for lunch! The crunch from the broccoli slaw and the edamame works really well with the soft, fluffy quinoa. And then it all gets coated in the glorious citrus dressing, featuring lime and orange juice, plus the savory notes of soy sauce and sesame oil. I of course prefer it with a hit of sriracha sauce, too. So fresh and so packed with flavor!
I also add a little sriracha for some background heat and because, well, sriracha should be added to most foods in my opinion. The quinoa here needs to be cooked and cooled ahead of assembling the salad, though, so please plan accordingly! Also, this salad is best in the first 24 hours of making it. After that, the veggies start to lunch some of their crunch. Still good taste, but much less texture. This salad is vegan as is, and would be an excellent light dinner for those New Years resolutions, but you could also add some leftover or rotisserie chicken if you want to round it out and make it a full meal on its own. It’s also great as a side with some easy Parmesan baked chicken, honey Dijon salmon or spice-rubbed pork chops.
Try this quinoa salad for a bright and fresh winter pick-me-up and enjoy! The quinoa needs to be cooked and cooled ahead of assembling the salad, so please plan accordingly! This salad is best in the first 24 hours of making it. After that, the veggies start to lose some of their crunch.
