Thai Black Rice & Quinoa Salad

thai quinoa salad

by on February 1, 2012

Lately I’ve been feeling that the quinoa salad recipes I make for the family on a regular basis have gotten a little…redundant. Not that they aren’t super yummy, but when you eat quinoa as much as we do after a while it can get a little boring. So, I decided to liven things up a bit! This Thai Black Rice & Quinoa Salad is flavor packed and just what I was needing to mix things up. It had the hubby saying “This is really good” (as if he’s surprised…..hmmmphh–foot stomp!) multiple times every time I served it.

I really loved the way the herbs, mango and pepper played against each other to create a slightly hot sweet and spicy dish.  If you want to turn up the heat a bit, you could always drizzle it with more hot sauce.  (We found it perfect as written.)  On the other hand, if you shy away from heat you may want to use less hot sauce and omit the crushed red pepper.

Now be warned – this recipe makes a lot! It’s perfect for those of you who are looking to cook lunches ahead but if you are single and eat lunch out you may want to half the recipe…or else you could find yourself getting bored with it before you have eaten it all!

Recipe adapted from Clean Eating Magazine.

Thai Black Rice and Quinoa Salad

  1. In a large saucepan combine rice, vegetable broth and a pinch of sea salt. Bring to a boil. Add rinsed quinoa and reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to sit covered for five more minutes. Spread rice and quinoa mixture onto a baking sheet and allow to cool. Note: One thing that surprised me was that the rice did stain the quinoa. If you want to see the contrast in color, cook them separately. Also, make sure you check the rice package for cooking time. Mine said 25-30 minutes but if you have a different type of black rice it could take longer.
  2. Meanwhile make dressing by combining rice vinegar, olive oil, lime juice, tamari, agave nectar, sesame oil, Sriracha, garlic, salt and pepper in a blender or whisk together in a small bowl. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl combine mango, red pepper, cilantro, mint and green onions. Add rice/quinoa mixture and toss with ¾ of the dressing. (Use remaining dressing to drizzle on top or save it for leftovers.) Top with almonds and sesame seeds and serve at room temperature or chilled. Salad does very well in the refrigerator so it is great for planned leftovers!

Preparation time: 20 minute(s)

Cooking time: 35 minute(s)

Diet type: Vegan

Diet tags: Gluten free (Make sure your Sriracha and Tamari are gluten free.  I use an organic Sriracha that says its GF.)

Number of servings (yield): 8

Culinary tradition: Thai

Calories: 278

Fat: 9.2

Protein: 9.8

Carbohydrates:  41.9

Fiber:4.9

5 :  ★★★★★ 1 review(s)

Recipe by Cooking Quinoa.

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