Summer Side Dish: Sweet Chili Quinoa Salad

A light, tasty accompaniment for all those yummy grilled summer proteins! Feel free to add avocado for creaminess, or some cucumbers or shaved radish for more crunch.

Sweet Chili Quinoa Salad
(serves 2)

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
1 cup chicken or veggie broth
1 small zucchini, sliced thin (I use a vegetable peeler)
1/2 - 1/4 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 lime
Handful of chopped cilantro
1 tbspn sweet Thai chili sauce (start out with this much, then increase the amount gradually to taste -- a little goes a long way)

Rinse and drain the quinoa. Place the quinoa with the broth in a pot and bring to a boil. Cover, lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Place the zucchini, tomatoes, and lime juice at the bottom of a serving bowl. Add the cooked quinoa and toss -- the warm quinoa will gently cook the zucchini. Add the chili sauce and cilantro. Enjoy!

Quick + Easy: Goi ga (Vietnamese slaw)

So, you've made pho ga and you have leftover boiled chicken and don't know what to do with it. Solution? Goi ga -- a light salad of shredded cabbage and chicken. It is crunchy and tasty, you'll love boiled chicken in a way you never thought possible.

1.5 cups of shredded chicken (eyeball it depending on how much cabbage you have, how much leftovers you're trying to get rid of, the chicken ratio you want in this)
1 shredded carrot
1 small head of shredded cabbage
1/2 thinly sliced onion
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 tspn. sugar
Torn coriander, mint or Thai basil leaves (or all three!)

Crushed peanuts for garnish
Nuoc cham
Black sesame rice paper crackers (optional)

Dissolve the sugar in the white vinegar. Place the red onions in this mixture and let soak for about 15 minutes. Drain and mix the onions with the rest of the ingredients. Toss with nuoc cham to taste. Top with crushed peanuts and serve with toasted sesame rice paper if using.

Roasted Pepper & Calamari Salad With Cilantro Dressing

The dressing for this salad is so tasty I just want to smother everything in it. Yum.

1 red bell pepper

1 yellow bell pepper

8 pieces of calamari/squid, with tentacles (you may adjust this depending on how big the calamari are)

1 bunch of cilantro

1 lime, juiced

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

1/3 cup of olive oil, plus more for grilling 

Salt + pepper

Grill the peppers on a grill pan (rotate it on the pan until the sides are nice and black and blistered). When all sides of the pepper are nicely charred, place the peppers in a large bowl and cover with a kitchen towel for about 10 minutes. Most of the skin should rub off with gentle nudging at this point. Slice the peppers and set aside. 

Throw the cilantro, lime juice, garlic, salt + pepper, and olive oil in a food processor and blend until it's as smooth or as chunky as you want it. Set aside.

Toss the calamari in some olive oil. Grill for a few minutes per side. Slice, then toss with the peppers and cilantro dressing. Salt to taste. Serve warm or at room temperature.