Like so many of my recipes, this meal was born out of necessity. I was short on time. I was freakin’ hot in my apartment (I live in an older complex and during the summer the AC can’t keep up with the Texas heat).
So I popped my head into the fridge to see what I could scrounge up for a meal that would hit all of my requirements: (1) delicious, (2) satisfying/filling, (3) easy and (4) nutritious.
I chose quinoa because it cooks very quickly and also tastes great cold, as in a salad. It is also a better protein source than many other grains and so nutrition-wise would pair well with my protein choice of edamame. You could use another grain in place of quinoa with very similar results!
Unfortunately, I only had edamame in their pods. But I went ahead and listed it as unshelled edamame so that you don’t have to go through the de-shelling process.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of uncooked quinoa
- 2 cups red cabbage, chopped
- 2 roma tomatoes, diced
- 1 bag of frozen unshelled edamame (about 2 cups)
- 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
- Juice of 1/2 lime
- 1 tsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- Cook quinoa according to package directions. Usually, it has to be rinsed first under cold water for 2-3 minutes. Learn more about quinoa here. When done, set aside to cool.
- Steam the edamame according to package directions. Set aside to cool.
- Combine the parsley, oil, lime juice, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Whisk until combined. This will be the salad dressing.
- Once the quinoa and edamame have cooled down, add all ingredients into a big bowl. Top off with the salad dressing and mix well until the salad is combined and the dressing is distributed.
- Serve cold!
Make this an even easier meal by using pre-made/store-bought dressing!
Ruth Jimenez Nutrition 