I think that today may win the award for the most relaxed I’ve ever felt on a Monday morning.
Or as my yoga instructor from our retreat this weekend would say, the most blissed out.
Seriously. It’s remarkable what just a few days of R&R can do for you, especially when those days include things like a road trip through the wide-open Kansas plains during a thunderstorm, settling into a quaint little cabin in the woods, enjoying morning and evening restorative yoga sessions, dining on a buffet of fresh and healthy meals, curling up with a favorite book during downtime, and — oh — getting 100% lost in the woods for hours on a trail hike with some friends, which actually turned out to be one the highlights of the weekend. I mean seriously, how often nowadays with Siiri by our side do we ever get actually factually lost?!? It was delightful. And I must say, all the more so because this wasn’t some 5-star resort where you pay thousands of dollars to get your zen on. It was just a simple small retreat, put on by the most thoughtful people, attended by some of my favorite old friends, along with some dear new ones. I literally loved every minute.
Well, I could still always do without bugs in life. Namely, ticks and mosquitos and spiders, all of whom decided to take a sweet bite out of me this weekend. (And were then squashed immediately. Sorry, no mercy when you drink my blood, suckerzzz.)
But of course, other than that, loved every charming minute. :)
Anyway, after so much clean and healthy eating this weekend, it seems that this slaw I had planned to share with you on the blog today is extra meant-to-be. I made it this past week with some leftover ingredients from my Rainbow Fish Taco Nachos, kind of as a healthier riff on my favorite Crunchy Asian Ramen Noodle Salad. And, as probably should have come as no surprise with those ingredients, it turned out to be a vibrant, delicious, total winner.
I mean, seriously, get a load of all that color!
The ingredients are actually surprisingly simple and affordable.
All you need is some red cabbage (you can either chop it yourself, or buy it bagged), shredded carrots, green onions, almonds (slivered or sliced), and lots of cooked quinoa. I went with red quinoa, but any color will do. (And if you need it, here’s my step-by-step tutorial for how to cook quinoa.)
Then, whip up a simple sesame vinaigrette. (I used significantly less than in the Crunchy Asian Ramen Noodle Salad to make this one healthier.)
Pour it into the slaw…
…then toss it all together until combined. And if you feel like it, sprinkle some sesame seeds on top.
It’s easy, fresh, flavorful, and SO GOOD. Feel free to add in some protein like cooked chicken or shrimp if you’d like. But otherwise, it makes a satisfying side or main dish all on its own. Perfect for a quick weeknight dinner, a weekend picnic or potluck, or even a relaxing yoga retreat. :)
Enjoy!
Easy Sesame Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
Slaw Ingredients:
- 1 (16-ounce) bag shredded red cabbage (or about 4 cups shredded cabbage)
- 2 cups cooked quinoa (I used red quinoa)
- 2 cups shredded carrots
- 2/3 cup thinly-sliced green onions
- 1/2 cup slivered or sliced almonds, toasted
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
Sesame Honey Vinaigrette Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil (or any cooking oil)
- 3 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey (or agave, to make this vegan)
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1/8 teaspoon sesame oil
- pinch of salt and black pepper
Instructions
To Make The Slaw:
- Toss all ingredients together until combined. Serve immediately, or refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 1 day.
To Make The Asian Honey Vinaigrette:
- Whisk all ingredients together until combined.
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
I made very minor changes, and it was delicious! My sad little grocery store had no red cabbage, so I used bagged coleslaw mix. I cut the oil down to 1/4 cup, and upon tasting thought it needed a little more sweet and salty, so I added another tsp. of soy sauce and about a TBS. of seasoned rice vinegar which is sweetened. I may try just using the seasoned rice vinegar next time and omitting the honey. The flavor of that little bit of sesame oil and the toasted almond really came through and made this salad special. I’ll definitely go out of my way to find red cabbage next time to get that beautiful purple color and maybe garnish it with nasturtium blossoms for a psychedelic color blast! Thanks for a great recipe!
This looks like a great recipe, especially the vinaigrette. I pinned and printed for later use.
Thanks, Gerlinde, we hope you enjoy it!
I really love this, and so did the rest of my family! It’s so beautiful and has a fabulous flavor. This would be great to bring to a pot luck! We loooove green onions and seasame oil, so we added extra of those… and a few extra almonds ;)
Thank you for this yummy, healthy recipe!
Thank you, Kristin — we’re so glad to hear that! :)
This looks amazing? Will it last longer if I don’t add the dressing until serving?
Thanks, Marisa! Yes, we think it should keep a few days longer if you do it that way. We hope you enjoy!
Just so I’m completely clear, 2 cups cooked quinoa means exactly that, 2 cups of cooked quinoa. Or does it mean take 2 cups of dried quinoa and cook it?
Hi Sarah! 2 cups of already cooked quinoa. We hope you enjoy! :)
I just made this for dinner and it was sooooo good! My husband is already asking for me to make it again! Thanks for the great recipe :)
Thanks for sharing with us Lauren — we’re so glad you and your husband enjoyed this! :D
I thought it was a great salad! I had it for dinner and it was good. I was hoping it would be more on the tart and sweet side. Would it work if I traded out the rice vinegar for lemon juice and increase the honey?
We’re glad you enjoyed the salad Jessica! And yes, we think you could definitely make that swap and increase the honey!
I had some leftover red quinoa in the fridge and got some purple cabbage from my CSA so this salad was an easy choice. So yummy! And this simple dressing would be good on lots of other stuff…actually I could eat the dressing like soup. Thanks for sharing.
That’s awesome Barbara — we’re so happy you enjoyed it! :)
Yum! We had company from out of town and served this with burgers after they had worked up a big appetite biking most of the day. It was a big hit. The next day we added some leftover fresh corn off a cob and some cilantro to the slaw and it was pretty unbelievable! I have shared this recipe with my whole family. Thanks!
That’s great to hear Rene — we’re so glad it was a hit with everyone! :)
I made this tonight and it is a quick and healthy meal! I subbed shelled edamame for the almonds and left the honey out of the dressing to make it sugar-free. Slaw sounds like a side dish but with the quinoa and edamame, this is a great veg meal. Keeper!
Thanks for sharing Amy — we’re happy you enjoyed it and the edamame sounds yummy! :)