Hello Friends from The Larson Lingo! I was so excited when I saw Mel's link up for Summer Salads! I started thinking about what salad recipe to post and couldn't think of anything different or exciting.
Then it hit me.
Duh!
This salad!
Thai-Style Chicken Quinoa Salad is a hit! People gobble it up and ask for the recipe.
Plus, you're awesome because you made something with quinoa.
I love making a batch of this and eating it for lunch all week. I feel like it holds up well for 4 days in the fridge. Day 5 might be kind of a stretch in the food quality department, but it's certainly still safe.
Be awesome. Make this. Power to the Quinoa...or something ;)
Oh, any other edits I make will be in this color.
Are you dying to know what I'll be eating for lunch this week?
I knew it!
This...
It is SO delicious and chock full of veggies and other delightful, healthy things!
But, before we get down to business, check out the girls checking on the mama bird I wrote about yesterday...
 |
| please ignore Gracie's mullet |
I didn't sit on the counter, though.
The mama bird seems to be doing just fine!
But then a mean bird ate her eggs :( Aaron googled "what eats robin's eggs." Those nasty black birds or blue jays were probably the culprit. Stupid blue jays...don't be deceived by their prettiness; they're just big baby egg eating jerks.
Back to our regularly scheduled recipe...
Thai-Style Chicken Qunioa Salad adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.
You will need some more unusual things. But, not so weird that you need a specialty store. I can find all of these things at my Super Walmart.
I feel like you need a close up view of the veggie plate.
For the salad, you need:
1 and 1/2 cups of quinoa, uncooked
2 cups cooked chicken (I used canned because I
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped sweet bell pepper
1/2 cup shelled edamame (I used frozen...just let it thaw and pop those babies out of the pod)
4 green onions, chopped (I always use a kitchen scissors for that)
1/2 cup chopped, roasted peanuts
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
salt and pepper to taste (I forgot about this, but I bet adding it would bump this up on the delicious meter a tiny bit higher)
Prepare quinoa according to package directions (usually a ratio of 1:2, quinoa:liquid). I always make my quinoa in low sodium, low fat chicken broth in a box.
After qunioa is cooked, dump it in a big bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine.
Here's what you need for the dressing:
2-3 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar (I bet you could use regular or apple cider vinegar and the world wouldn't end)
3 tablespoons canned coconut milk (I used light)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons creamy peanut butter
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1 lime, juiced (about 2 tablespoons)
pinch of ground ginger
Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a small bowl, and whisk to combine. I used an immersion blender, because I think peanut butter can be hard to combine. You could put it in a regular blender, too, if you wanted to.
About the sweet chili sauce...the original recipe called for 4 tablespoons which I thought might have more of a kick than I'd prefer (I'm a wimp about spicy things). When I tasted the dressing with 2 tablespoons, I thought it was fine. After I put the dressing on, the spiciness was dispersed, and I think it would be best with 3 tablespoons. In other words, do what you want, but know the overall dressing will be less spicy when it's actually on the salad.
Also, if you have a peanut allergy, I bet you could use Sun Butter and just leave out the peanuts.
Check out all the pretty colors!
Look who else was a fan:
Gracie gobbled it up!
Of course, when we met up with friends for a picnic, she was too distracted by wanting to play to actually eat it for lunch.
This is yummy at any temperature and travels well. Give it a shot! I'll be making this a lot this summer!
Oh, and after I made this, we played a game of Candy Land, and look who won in 6 cards with no cheating!
Epic win for Maggie!
Epic recipe for all of us :)
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