I know it’s winter, but I’m not opposed to a winter salad and today, as our final plant-based January recipe: we’re making a rainbow-coloured salad with crunchy vegetables, edamame beans and quinoa.
INGREDIENTS
Vegetables:
Sweet red pepper (can be substituted with a red bell pepper)
Carrot
Spring onion
Radish
Cucumber
Toppings & filling:
Fresh coriander
Toasted black sesame seeds (can be substituted with normal sesame seeds and if you can’t find toasted seeds, simply toast in a frying pan for a few minutes until the aromas are released)
Tricolour quinoa
Salad dressing:
Chilli flakes
Soy sauce
Rice syrup (can be substituted with agave or maple syrups)
Fresh garlic
Fresh ginger root
Sesame oil
TIPS & NOTES
This is a simple recipe, and you can definitely substitute out some of the ingredients, but ensure you use firm vegetables if you’re doing this as a meal prep. This is also why I toast the quinoa, to keep it nice and firm, and de-seed the cucumber to remove the extra moisture. Also, feel free to use frozen edamame; simply leave to defrost in boiling water as your first step and drain when you’re ready to use them.
As a side-note: I also prefer to use avocado oil and white pepper rather than black pepper for more eastern-inspired dishes, though (as always) you can work with whatever you have to hand!
Rainbow, Edamame & Quinoa Salad
A fresh and delicious meal prep salad with East Asian flavours
Ingredients
- 1/2 a cup of tricolour quinoa (rinsed)
- 1 long sweet red pepper (de-seeded, halved lengthways and sliced)
- 1 small cucumber (or 1/2 a large one) (halved, de-seeded with a spoon and cut into semi-circles)
- 1 cup of edamame beans
- 7 radishes (cut into mini batons)
- 1 medium carrot (cut into small batons)
- 2 spring onions (sliced at an angle)
- A small handful (c. 2g) of coriander (de-stemmed and chopped)
- 1 tbsp of toasted black sesame seeds
- 2 tsp of soy sauce
- 1 inch piece of ginger (finely chopped or grated)
- 1 garlic clove (finely chopped or grated)
- 1 tsp of chilli flakes
- 1 tsp of rice syrup
- 1 tbsp of sesame oil
- Juice of 1 lime
- A drizzle of avocado oil
- Salt and white pepper to taste
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 180C
- Over a medium heat, add some avocado oil to a small lidded saucepan and add the quinoa, season with salt and pepper and toast for a couple of minutes
- Add 3/4s of a cup of water and bring to the boil before simmering covered (stirring occasionally) until all the water is absorbed and the quinoa is fluffy and cooked (this should take 15-20 minutes)
- Line a sheet pan with greaseproof paper and spread over the quinoa – drizzle with some extra oil oil and season once again before baking for a total of 20 minutes (partway through, use a spoon or spatuala to expose any wetter quinoa)
- Once the quinoa is firm and slightly crispy, remove from the oven and allow to cool
- Add the garlic, ginger, rice syrup, lime juice, soy sauce, sesame oil and chilli flakes to a small jar or salad shaker and shake vigorously to combine
- Once the quinoa is cooled, combine it with the prepared vegetables, sesame seeds and coriander and pour over the dressing – toss to combine and serve
Let me know if you try this salad!
See how I make it here:
But First, Food 
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