This cashew veggie quinoa salad is a vibrant nutritious dish bursting with big bold
flavors. This dish is packed with veggies – carrots, cucumbers, peppers, edamame – and herbs – green onions and cilantro – then finished with a creamy, flavorful cashew soy ginger dressing. It is crunchy, savory, sweet, and spicy – the flavors and texture of this salad make it totally crave worthy and addicting. Finally, it’s meal prep perfection as it gets even better the next day.
This Cashew Veggie Quinoa Salad is bursting with big bold flavor
As a busy, working mom, I find meal prepping my lunches makes a world of difference for the productivity and ease of my weeks. While I mostly work from home (so have the flexibility to make lunch during the day), I find it interrupts my workflow if I spend too much time in the kitchen during lunchtime. To prevent that midafternoon slump caused by lunch making fatigue, I prefer to have delicious but also nutritious meals prepped and waiting for me in the fridge.
I look forward to this cashew veggie quinoa salad all morning long! It’s packed with so much flavor and texture, making it totally addicting. While it is satisfying, it is also light and fresh as it contains an array of raw vegetables, herbs, and nuts, and keeps me energized for the rest of my day. It’s finished with this creamy cashew soy ginger dressing, making the whole salad pop with big flavor. A squeeze of lime juice is aded for extra brightness. I also love to add avocado for extra healthy fats and to make it a more filling complete meal (chopped chicken works beautifully too).
What You’ll Need to Make the Cashew Veggie Quinoa Salad
This salad is a total flavor explosion. You have raw veggies for crunch and color, herbs for brightness and freshness, quinoa to make it hearty and filling, and an addictively delicious creamy soy cashew dressing which brings all the flavors together.
- Quinoa (the base of this salad)
- Veggies (carrots, peppers, edamame, and cucumber)
- Herbs, (green onion and cilantro)
- Cashews (for that crunch!)
The Sauce!
You will want to drink this sauce straight from the jar – it is that good! The base is cashew butter (peanut butter works too) to create a rich, creamy, and savory dressing. To smooth it out and for that umami punch, I use soy sauce and sesame oil. The dressing also contains sweet chili sauce and honey for sweetness, rice wine vinegar for needed brightness to balance the rich, bold flavors, siracha for a spicy kick, and ginger and garlic for pops of bright, bold flavors. Combine all these ingredients and whisk until smooth to create this magical elixir that makes the whole salad sing!
How to make this Cashew Veggie Quinoa Salad
- Chop your veggies. I like to blast my favorite playlist to get put me in a chopping zone and then get to work! TIP: cut all the veggies in the same or similar size so it creates a cohesive bite.
- Steam the edamame. I just add the edamame to a boil with a little water and steam in the microwave. Or you can do it on the stovetop. But the edamame needs to be cooked before adding to the salad to soften it slightly.
- Whip up the dressing. This part is so easy. Add all of the ingredients to a jar, microwave for about 30 seconds to help slightly melt the cashew butter, and whisk all together until perfectly smooth.
- Toss it together. Throw all of the salad ingredients into a large bowl, top with dressing, and toss until well combined.
Meal Prep Tips
- Make extra dressing. The dressing is additive. I find myself craving a little extra for topping after tossing the salad! Plus, as the salad sits, the quinoa seems to absorb some of the dressing, so I like to drizzle more on top when I am ready to eat it the next day(s).
- Place into meal prep containers. With the raw, hardy veggies, and lack of any lettuce, this salad is perfect for meal prep. To make lunch time even easier, I divide any leftovers among meal prep containers, with a little extra side of sauce, and place in the fridge.
- Eat within a week. This salad gets better as it sits in the fridge as the flavors better marry together, which is why I love this salad so much for meal prep. But I do recommend eating it within a week for best taste and textures.
other favorite meal prep dishes
Cashew Veggie Quinoa Salad
This cashew veggie quinoa salad is a vibrant nutritious dish bursting with big bold flavors. This dish is packed with veggies – carrots, cucumbers, peppers, edamame – and herbs – green onions and cilantro – then finished with a creamy, flavorful cashew soy ginger dressing. It is crunchy, savory, sweet, and spicy – the flavors and texture of this salad make it totally crave worthy and addicting. Finally, it’s meal prep perfection as it gets even better the next day.
Ingredients
Sauce
- 1/3 cup cashew butter or peanut butter
- 4 tbsps. soy sauce
- 2 tbsps. rice wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp. sweet chili sauce
- ½ tbsp honey
- 1-2 tsps. sesame oil
- 1 tbsp. minced fresh ginger
- ¼ tsp. garlic powder
- Squeeze siracha to taste
- 2 tbsp. water
- Salt and pepper to taste not much salt as soy sauce is salty
Salad
- 1 cup quinoa cooked in bone broth
- ½ cup edamame steamed
- 1 large carrot shredded
- ¼ cup chopped cashews
- 2 small cucumbers thinly sliced
- A handful cilantro chopped
- 5-6 mini peppers diced
- 2 green onions thinly sliced
- squeeze of lime juice
Instructions
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For the dressing, add all of the ingredients to a mason jar or small bow. Microwave for 30 seconds so the nut butter softens and is easier to blend. Then whisk until all the ingredients are combined and it creates a smooth dressing. If too thick, add a little more water to thin it out until it is a pourable consistency.*
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For the salad, add the cooked quinoa to a large serving bowl. Top with all the veggies and herbs. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss until well combined. Finish with a squeeze of lime juice.*
Recipe Notes
I recommend doubling the dress so you have extra for topping for meal prep purposes.
Divide extra salad between airtight meal prep containers and store in fridge for up to a week. I like to make an extra batch of the dressing so I can use it for topping when I meal prep this salad.
