Let’s face it, sometimes salads can be quite bland, especially if the veggies are not particularly tasty. Well this super flavourful Asian salad with sesame soy dressing is not one of those salads. The combination of oils and the saltiness of the soy sauce, combined with fresh lemon juice, make this crunchy and nutritious salad a truly delicious one.
The dressing in this salad uses common ingredients for some Asian countries, but the salad itself is not a classic Asian salad I would day. However the taste does remind of the far east. Regardless of how you classify it, this Sesame Soy salad is a true flavour bomb and completely vegan.
It combines a selection of very crunchy and colourful vegetables, making it rich in beta-carotene (Vitamin A), antioxidant components and lots of other beneficial nutrients that are simply too many to list here.
If you have a spiralizer, this salad is the perfect opportunity to spiralize some veggies. You can spiralize the red cabbage (with the ribbon blade), the carrot and the cucumber, although I decided to chop the cucumber when I was taking the pictures of the salad. This makes the preparation so much easier as you don’t have to try to grate or chop, which isn’t normally much fun.
The quinoa in the recipe makes this salad even more filling and adds some extra protein to your meal. Sesame seeds are another ingredient in this colourful salad and the aroma that these seeds add is divine (I love sesame!). This aroma is further enhanced with sesame oil for a truly sesame-flavoured salad.
Hope you like this delicious and healthy quinoa salad with sesame soy dressing, let me know what you think in the comments below!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup quinoa
- 2 cups spinach
- 1 cup (one handful) red cabbage (spiralized or chopped)
- 1 large carrot (spiralized or grated)
- 1/2 cucumber (spiralized or diced)
- 1-2 tbsp sesame seeds
- salt to taste (optional as the dressing is salty)
- (optional) chilli flakes if you like it spicy
- For the dressing:
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- juice from 1 lemon
Instructions
- In a small saucepan cook the quinoa with 1 cup of water (1:2 quinoa and water) on low-medium heat. Once most of the water has evaporated and the quinoa is cooked, take out the quinoa and leave it to cool on the side.
- In a small bowl whisk together all the ingredients for the dressing.
- In a large salad bowl add all the veggies, sesame seeds, the quinoa and then pour over the sesame soy dressing. Toss the salad and mix well so the dressing flavours the whole salad.