Quinoa Salad with Tibetan Herb Dressing
This quinoa salad might not look like much, but it’s deceptively flavorful! The simple combination of quinoa, blanched green beans, and grape tomatoes gets BIG flavor from a Tibetan herb dressing loaded with ginger, cilantro, garlic, and a hint of spice. Top it all off with a few slivered almonds and you have a lunch that you’ll look forward to all morning!
I’ve eaten this for lunch almost every day for the last two weeks and I’m still not tired of it. In fact, I’m completely head over heels in love with the dressing.
The dressing is based on one that I had at this year’s Big Summer Potluck and I just. can’t. get. enough! I thought about it pretty much the entire 4 hour drive home, and made it myself very shortly after. It’s thick and pesto-like and incredibly pungent from tons of fresh ginger and garlic. It smells really strong when you first make it, but it mellows out a ton after a night in the fridge, so you don’t have to worry too much about having Godzilla breath if you eat this at your desk (although a mint afterward wouldn’t be the worst idea. Especially if you have afternoon meetings.)
Quinoa Salad with Tibetan Herb Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa rinsed very well
- 1 cup French-style green beans trimmed
- ¼ cup grape tomatoes halved
- ¼ cup cilantro
- 2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon chili sauce like sambal oelek or sriracha
- 1 lemon juiced
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons slivered almonds
Instructions
- Add the quinoa and 2 cups of water to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and cover. Cook 10 minutes, or until done.
- Fill a second pot with about 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil. Add the green beans and cook for 30 seconds, or until bright green. Drain.
- Add the cilantro, ginger, garlic, and chili sauce to a food processor or blender. Process until it forms a thick, pesto-like puree. Stir in the lemon juice; thin with water.
- Combine the warm quinoa, beans, and tomatoes in a large dish. Stir in half the dressing. Let cool completely.
- Top with slivered almonds immediately before serving. Serve with additional dressing.
That dressing sounds fantastic! I am always up for a new quinoa salad.
I just can’t get enough different dressing for salads and this is one I really need to make. Love the ingredients and can imagine how tasty they are all blended together.
Wasn’t Big Summer Potluck, fun? There were some great grain salads there. Yours sounds good with the green beans.
I had that dressing at BSP also and am still thinking about it! I’m so glad you recreated it so that now I can make it nonstop. 🙂
This looks absolutely fantastic!
This dressing sounds like my kind of thing and I need to make it asap!
This sounds so fresh and yummy. A great, simple lunch idea
Yum! Great idea! I just love quinoa and this is such a great combo!
I love quinoa as well. Yours looks so fresh and tasty and that dressing sounds great!
Oh, I love a quinoa salad and your Tibetan dressing sounds divine…love the bit of kick! I will be dreaming about this one, too!