Coconut Ginger Quinoa Salad with Apples

37 Comments

Hello! Hope you all had a wonderful long weekend! Our weekend was pretty quiet, as we are both just getting over a flu bug. Plus, we got a large amount of snow here on the Canadian Prairies on Saturday. It’s very much starting to look like Christmas around these parts! And I’m not complaining. I love snow…until January. :) Then I could easily be rid of it! Sadly, it often does not leave here until April. *hah*

Yesterday, Jesse and I went to see the new James Bond movie and loved it. It’s highly entertaining with a good story-line. After the movie, we watched some football with my dad (sadly, the team we were cheering for is out of the playoffs…*pouts*) and then we had an awesome dinner put together by my mom. She made a huge selection of Asian-inspired food including a teriyaki vegetable stir fry, spring rolls and a pineapple rice dish. Delicious!

Speaking of delicious, this coconut ginger quinoa salad with apples is one of my all-time favourite salads. The ginger and coconut really make this dish special. So simple, but so flavourful! It’s also one of my favourite things to make to bring for lunch during the work-week. It’s incredibly filling as a salad, but also doubles as an excellent filling in wraps along with some fresh veggies. 

When I first started blogging, I posted this delicious salad on The Fig Tree. But the post seems to have been lost in the archives – rarely to be seen. What a shame, since this is really a delicious, nutritious salad with tons of protein and fibre. Plus, it’s vegan! So, I thought I’d resurrect this yummy recipe for this week’s Vegan Tuesday post along with a new photo. It’s a nicely balanced light salad that can offset all of rich foods that we indulge on at this time of year.

Hope you have a fantastic week. I’ll be back in a few days with another new recipe. I’m thinking something sweet! :)

Ingredients
  • 1 and 1/2 cups of vegetable stock
  • 1 cup of quinoa; rinsed well
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons of freshly grated ginger
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 apple; diced
  • 1/3 cup of unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 1 cup of frozen shelled edamame
  • 1/2 cup of blanched almonds or sliced almonds

Method

1. Toast the almonds in a saucepan over medium heat for about 3 minutes; or until the almonds are fragrant and slightly golden. Ensure you stir often while the almonds toast, so you do not burn them. Note: you need not add any oil to the saucepan to toast the almonds, as they release their own oils as they brown. Remove almonds from the pan and set aside.

2. In a medium saucepan, add the vegetable stock, grated ginger and some salt and pepper to taste. Add the rinsed quinoa and bring the mixture to a boil. Once at a rolling boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.

3. Once the quinoa has cooked for 10 minutes, remove from heat and add the frozen edamame. Allow the mixture to stand for 5 minutes; covered. This will allow the edamame to defrost and cook slightly.

4. Remove the lid and allow the mixture to cool. Add the apples, almonds and shredded coconut. Serve at room temperature.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Source: recipe adapted from Vegetarian Times March 2010

Comments

  3. says

    I have some quinoa that I’ve been waiting to figure out what to do with… I almost always end up with some overpowering quinoa-y nutty tasting dish which is great, but sometimes I want to taste the other flavors as well! Crunchy apples and fresh ginger sound like they might do the trick!

    Reply

    • says

      Boiling the quinoa with the fresh, grated ginger really adds a lot of nice flavour to the quinoa itself. I also really love the addition of coconut, as it brightens up the dish a lot. So much flavour with each bite :)

      Reply

  7. says

    Wasn’t Skyfall fantastic? I’m still in awe- everything about it was fantastic.

    THis salad looks so yummy- and I think I might even get the twins to eat it since they like apples, quinoa, and edamame!

    Reply

    • says

      Skyfall was fantastic! I really enjoyed it. I had high expectations and was not disappointed. That says a lot! *haha* :)

      I hope the twins like the salad. Even people who have never tried quinoa before seem to love this salad. Who can say no to coconut and apple?

      Reply

  16. says

    That post was not lost on me – it was one of the first things I remember bookmarking from your blog :) One of my favourites too – the coconut and ginger give it so much flavour!

    Reply

  18. says

    oh sugar bug – you’ve been ill for so long! i hope you’re both feeling better.. (sending you homemade veggie broth and warm thoughts).

    p.s. you guys should check out Life of Pi – fabulously close to the book. very good!

    Thank you for sharing your post with us at the Wednesday Fresh Foods Link Up! I look forward to seeing what other seasonal & real/whole food surprises you have for us again this week! xo, kristy

    p.p.s. i’m still hoping you’ll write me a guest post ;) no pressure.

    Reply

  20. Anonymous says

    I just made this recipe and let me just say it is a winner!!

    I love the different flavours, none of which are too over bearing. I also love there is no extra oil added for a sauce.

    Thanks for posting!

    Reply

    • thefigtree says

      Awe, thanks! :) I’m glad you like the new space. I’m so happy with it. It’s funny what a little makeover can do for creativity and inspiration. I cannot stop making lists of recipes I want to make and post. Thanks for the comment :)

      Reply

  22. Bela says

    I am so excited to try out this recipe for lunch one day this week. It looks unbelievably yummy and simple. Which is always a plus!

    Reply

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