Miso-Sesame-Ginger Greens & Quinoa Bowls

我想是很重要的。通过不同。和these girls are all the same.Sylvia Plath

This meal is something I could literally eat every day and never ever tire of. I’ve never met a bowl of dressed greens I didn’t like to some degree, and for me (as always), most all delicious meals start and end with the most basic of kitchen essentials: a truly killer dressing.

Dressings and sauces are the keys to taking any plant-based ingredient and making it into a meal – and one of my favourite kitchen pastimes is playing around with ratios to make new recipes or tweak and improve others. This dressing has already made an appearance on the blog in those super early what-the-heck-am-I-doing days withthis tasty grated veggie slaw, but I think it’s even better now with a few little changes and a lot more years of this under my belt. I’ll let you guys be the judge here, and I’m fairly confident I know exactly what the verdict will be: DELICIOUS.

I’m going to take a moment here to plug this quinoa – which is one of the products we sell over atGRAIN. I know most of you will not be able to get your hands on this, and in that case of course you can use any quinoa, or your favourite brown rice to enjoy this nutritious meal. But for those of you inclined or familiar with this variety and who can pick it up, of course I highly recommend doing so as the Golden quinoa is like nothing you’ve ever had before. It’s nutty, with deep grassy flavours and a sweetness that is truly delicious (if you are in Canada you canbuy it online here, and for those of you in the Vancouver area or Victoria you can find ourretailer list here.

I’m pretty certain you are going to love this recipe. It’s versatile and perfect for winter time when lettuce is sort of pricey and there are more nutritious greens you can consume for the same spend. The salad is totally perfect on its own too, and the greens will keep their shape for a few days in the fridge too (no wilting lettuce here thank you very much!).

In other news, I’m off today for a much needed ‘me’ day: I’m calling it Wellness Wednesday. No kids, the phone off, a quiet house, and a long morning run. An afternoon of reflexology, a float, and dinner with one of my faves (my daughter). I’m so in love with today already. Love to all of you, wherever you find yourselves on this day xo

Miso-Sesame-Ginger Greens & Quinoa Bowls:

Dressing:

(3/4) cup olive oil
(2) tbsp dark sesame oil
(1/4) cup apple cider vinegar
(1/4) cup white miso
2 tbsp fresh chopped ginger
3 tbsp maple syrup
(1/2) cup water

Salad:

4 cups shredded Napa Cabbage
2 cups sliced baby Shanghai Bok Choy
2 cups thinly sliced Lacinato kale
1 cup sliced snow peas
1 red bell pepper, sliced thinly
1 cup edamame, cooked
1 cup toasted almonds slices or blanched whole almonds
Toasted sesame seeds for garnish

For the bowls:

3-4 cups cooked quinoa for the bowls
Avocado slices to garnish

Put up a pot of quinoa to cook while you prepare the salad and the dressing. Blend all of the dressing ingredients in a high powered blender until smooth and creamy. Transfer to a clean jar and keep in the fridge until ready to use. Prepare all of the salad ingredients and toss in a large bowl. Mix with dressing according to preference and mix well to coat. Add the sesame seeds for garnish. To assemble the bowls, arrange a cup of cooked quinoa in individual bowls and add 2-3 cups of dressed salad to each bowl. Garnish with more dressing, avocado slices, almonds, and sesame seeds and enjoy.