Thai Cashew Quinoa Salad with Ginger Peanut Dressing

So I'm absolutely addicted to quinoa right now... I know, I know, I'm a walking Vancouver cliche. (currently in Australia but started this obsession last year in Vancouver). I have found ways to incorporate it in almost every meal... with yogurt for breaky, with salad for lunch and with whatever I have left for dinner. Is there a harm in too much quinoa? I'm going to Google that right now.

Anyway, I found this recipe on Pinterest this week and had to try it. I love any Thai food, especially peanut sauce so this was a winner. I added a few extra things and I think they worked well. Let me know how it goes!

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked quinoa
• 2 cups shredded red cabbage 
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• ½ cup chopped cilantro
• ¼ cup diced green onions
• ½ cup cashew halves or peanuts (roasted is good)
• 1 cup edamame (or frozen peas)
• 1 cup chickpeas
• Fresh lime, for a bit of tang

For the dressing:

• ¼ cup natural peanut butter
• 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
• 3 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon honey (or agave)
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• Water to thin, if necessary

Instructions

1. To make dressing: Add peanut butter and honey or agave to a medium microwave safe bowl; heat in microwave for 20 seconds. Add in ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, and both sesame and olive oil and stir until mixture is smooth and creamy. If you want a thinner dressing, simply stir in a teaspoon or two of water. I had to add a few teaspoons and then make more dressing also. You need to make sure you have enough dressing to cover all quinoa. 
2. Put quinoa (must be cooled down) in large bowl. Add in dressing so it covers all quinoa and mix well. (have a taste to ensure you have enough dressing!)
3. Next fold in red pepper, onion, cabbage, carrots, chickpeas, edamame, cilantro and any other veggies into the quinoa. 
4. Garnish with cashews and green onions. Serve chilled or at room temperature with lime wedges if desired.

Adapted from: Ambitious Kitchen

Sweet Potato & Curry Hummus

I'm currently "in-between" jobs in Australia and spending a great deal of time in the kitchen. We have been hitting up the farmer's markets and last week got a giant bag of sweet potato's for $2. (I should probably mention it was actually my boyfriend's parents who got them while we were at the beach... haha). So I went onto Pinterest earlier this week and searched for anything with sweet potatoes... I found lots of great stuff but I wanted something healthy so I chose to make the hummus.

There were tons of great recipes so I used a combination of a few of them. Hummus is great because you start with a can of chickpeas and then add pretty much anything you like! Garlic, lemon and tahini seem to be a good base with the chickpeas and then add anything else! I'm hoping to try a few more varieties next week too!

Ingredients

• 1 can chickpeas (15oz)
• 1 roasted sweet potato
• 2-3 cloves of garlic (roasted)
• 1 tablespoon of tahini
• 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon of olive oil
• 1/4 cup of water
• 1 teaspoon of curry powder (I used Madras Curry Powder)
• dash of cayenne pepper
• salt/pepper to taste
• Crushed cashews for garnish

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Place 1 sweet potato on cooking sheet and bake for 45 minutes or until tender. You can also roast the garlic at this time.
3. Let sweet potato cool and then peel off skin and cut into pieces.
4. Place all ingredients (except water) into food processor and mix on low.
5. Slowly add the water a little bit at a time until it is the consistency you want.
6. Add crushed cashews for garnish.
7. Store in fridge for up to 5 days.