Purple Cabbage Quinoa Salad

Purple cabbage quinoa salad is a protein rich , quick and easy, vegetarian dish . This salad with all the healthy goodness of quinoa, carrots, purple cabbage , green onions is vegan , vibrantly colored, crunchy and can be put together under 30 minutes. It has nutty flavors from quinoa and toasted sesame seeds and is tossed with some Asian honey vinaigrette to give a flavorful dish which can be served as a salad, a side dish or a light weekend dinner. This purple cabbage quinoa salad is one of the best ways to have a rainbow meal and is a flavorful treat for weight watchers .

I love the nutty taste of quinoa and the fact that it is very versatile and easy to cook and have used this super grain in many dishes as a substitute to rice. Curd Quinoa  being our all time favourite. I have a Quinoa Summer Salad also on my blog. This purple cabbage quinoa salad recipe is inspired by the Asian quinoa slaw recipe from here . I have made a few changes in the original recipe to suit our taste buds. The recipe calls for use of raw cabbage, but you may blanch it if you are not used to the crunchy raw taste.

                          

 Before we move towards the recipe , for those who are new to this super food , let me give a brief intro about Quinoa. Quinoa is one among the world's most popular health foods. A gluten-free high-protein, high-fiber and low-fat grain , quinoa is one of the few plant foods that contain all nine essential amino acids. It is also high in magnesium , B- vitamins, iron, potassium , calcium, phosphorus, vitamin E and various beneficial antioxidants. Click here to know more about the health benefits of quinoa. 

                               

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Servings 2-3

Ingredients: Measurements used 1 cup = 200 ml

• 1/2 cup quinoa ( i have used organic white Quinoa)
• 1 small purple cabbage
• 2 carrots 
• 1 small bunch of green onions
• 2 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon sesame seed oil
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Black pepper to taste
• Salt to taste

Method:

1. Place 1/2 cup quinoa in a fine mesh strainer and rinse thoroughly under cold running water to remove the bitterness.  Drain and keep aside. Heat 1 cup water in a sauce pan . ( Ratio is 2 cup water to 1 cup raw quinoa). Add drained quinoa to it with a dash of salt and bring to a rolling boil. 

2. Reduce to a simmer , cover and cook for about 12-15  minutes or until the quinoa turns tender and all the water gets absorbed. Let the sauce pan remain covered for 5 minutes after putting off the flame.

3. While the quinoa is getting cooked, shred the cabbage and carrots. Thinly slice the green onion.

4. On cooking the quinoa turns slightly translucent and we can see tiny spirals / germ ( appear like small tails) coming out from the quinoa seed . Fluff it gently with a fork and allow to cool down at room temperature.

5. Now that our quinoa is cooked and has cooled down and veggies ready to be tossed in, we will quickly prepare the vinaigrette . Whisk the honey, lemon juice, sesame seed oil, soy sauce with freshly crushed black pepper and salt to taste.

6. In a large mixing bowl, toss the cooked quinoa with shredded veggies until well combined. Pour the prepared vinaigrette over it and toss again with a pair of fork . Lastly top the salad with toasted sesame seeds and serve immediately or refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 1 day.

  Recipe Notes:

• The original recipe uses toasted slivered almonds, i have used sesame seeds instead.
• The salad can be made with leftover cooked quinoa.
• Cooked chicken or boiled egg can be added to the salad to make it a wholesome protein rich meal.
• The recipe calls for use of raw cabbage, but you may blanch it if you are not used to the crunchy raw taste.

This flavorful filling and oh so beautiful purple cabbage quinoa salad is featured in the #149th #FoodieMondayBlogHop with #Salad as the theme for this week. Check out my fellow bloggers posts as well for some innovative ideas on this theme.

                             

I hope you would love to try out this healthy and delicious salad for yourself . Would love to hear from you , so feel free to drop any queries, suggestions and feedback in the comment section below.

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Check out the following posts from my blog if you are looking for more salad recipes.

• Moorish Crunch Salad

                             

• Moong Sprout Salad

                               

• Quinoa Summer Salad

                              

• Lobia Salad

                             

• Sweet Corn Salad

                             

• Muskmelon Salsa

                             

• Khamang Kakdi / Cucumber Salad

                            

• Raw Mango Salad

                           

• Spicy Potato Salad

                          

• Chickpea Sundal

                         

• Kale Chane Ki Chaat