I recently made a big batch of kimchi to use in the Kogi kimchi quesadillas and luckily I had a bunch left over. I was looking for a lighter meal and I was thinking that a quinoa salad with kimchi would be nice. Since I had some zucchini in the fridge there was no question that I would be adding some and I thought that it would work best if it was grated. I then bulked the salad up a bit with some black beans which I always enjoy using in salads like this. I knew exactly what I wanted to use as the dressing; the gochujang dressing that I have been using for a while now is full of flavour and it works really well on salads of all kinds. In fact it is a little like a Korean barbecue sauce where it has a nice heat but that heat is balanced by a sweetness, a saltiness and a tartness and finished off with some sesame flavours. This zucchini and kimchi quinoa salad was really easy to make and it turned out great! It was nice and light and yet filling and healthy and packed with flavour! The kimchi worked really well in the salad and the gochujang dressing really shone and both brought a nice amount of heat.
Zucchini and Kimchi Quinoa Salad
ingredients
- 1 cup red quinoa
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup black beans
- 1 cup zucchini (grated)
- 1/4 cup kimchi (chopped)
- 2 tablespoons gochujang dressing
- 1 green onion (sliced)
- 1 jalapeno (sliced)
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds (toasted)
directions
- Simmer the quinoa in the water until the water is absorbed, about 20 minutes.
- Mix the quinoa, beans, zucchini and kimchi and toss with the dressing.
- Serve garnished with green onions, chilies and toasted sesame seeds.
You've done it again, Kevin!! Your recipes get better and better every time you post 🙂
Almost feel the taste in my mouth! Nice photo too …
Have a nice day!
Ooo, that looks so good and inviting !
Congratulations !
Love the combination of flavors here, Kevin. I've been on a quinoa kick recently, but hadn't thought of adding kimchi. Terrific idea!
I looked at the pictures of all 4 salads in this page and I realized that your cooking is just so far beyond mine. The flavors that you use is just so amazing Kevin!!
I just love kimchi but with quinoa, now this is something different. Who would have thought that you used to cook boring meals every single day? This is winner.
Love that way you have used shreded zucchini and that salade looks really good and beautiful.
Between the kimchi and the gochujang, this must be one of the most flavor-packed salads out there! Perfect to spice up lunch and/or dinner.
That looks yummy! Love those flavors, so I will be giving this a try for sure. Thanks for stopping by my blog so often and for your kind comments – much appreciated! I'm givng this post a Stumble, so others can enjoy it too.
What a beautiful salad! very healthy and savory!
Cheers,
Rosa
Lovely. And if it does taste like Korean BBQ then it is for me! I love this combo of flavors!
This has to be one of the most unique flavor combination ever! Amazing. As usual.
How creative Kevin! Sounds delicious and so healthy as well.
Kevin you always make the most interesting salads! You should put together a salad cookbook!
This is really interesting, great use of kimchi!
I just made this because I was looking for a way to use up some of the kimchee in the fridge, and it changed my world! So yummy! Thanks for the amazing recipe!
So, there I was, having just made a quinoa-kim chi pairing, wondering if I might've been the first. Not so: pipped at the post, as they say. Great recipe, Kevin.