Rainbow Crunch Salad with Ginger Peanut Dressing

Gluten-free and vegetarian, this colorful salad has great crunch and the yummiest Ginger Peanut Dressing! Easy to assemble, adaptable to tastes and perfect on its own (hello edamame for protein!) or served as a side dish.

Rainbow Crunch Salad edamame ginger peanut dressing easy gluten-free recipe
Rainbow Crunch Salad with Ginger Peanut Dressing

A fresh, flavorful and hearty gluten-free vegetarian salad!

So excited for you to try this Rainbow Crunch Salad with Ginger Peanut Dressing!

Naturally gluten-free, this colorful salad has great crunch with a mix of cabbage, carrots, peppers and the addition of peanuts, edamame for protein, and the yummiest Ginger Peanut Dressing (seriously, if you do nothing else, make this dressing!), making it a super tasty and satisfying salad.

Plus as with all our salads, it is easy to assemble and adaptable to tastes… use more or less of your favorite ingredient or substitute as desired for tastes or a dietary need and it will still taste great!

Rainbow Crunch Salad edamame ginger peanut dressing easy gluten-free recipe

So let’s make it!

It’s super simple with not a lot of ingredients and easy to assemble.

Here is what you’ll need:

green cabbage

red or purple cabbage

red bell pepper

shredded carrots

frozen shelled edamame

green onions

fresh basil

roasted salted peanuts

Ginger Peanut Dressing (details below)

Rainbow Crunch Salad edamame ginger peanut dressing easy gluten-free recipe

As you can see, I cut the vegetables into small strips or matchstick pieces but this salad is equally tasty if you were to dice the vegetables into small bite-size pieces so it was a true chopped salad… so cut the vegetables in whichever way is easiest for you or what you’re in the mood for.

And the Ginger Peanut Dressing is practically drinkable, it’s so delicious!

Here’s what you need to make it.

creamy natural peanut butter

gluten-free tamari

rice wine vinegar

brown sugar

fresh lime juice

fresh ginger (or ground ginger if you don’t have fresh)

and a few squirts of sriracha

And all you do it place all the ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth and creamy.

Note: even though the photo here shows the ginger chopped, I usually just toss a piece of ginger about 1 1/2 – 2 inches long and about 1/2 -3/4 inch wide right into the blender.

Place all the chopped veggies into a big bowl, toss with the Ginger Peanut Dressing and that’s it!

Rainbow Crunch Salad edamame ginger peanut dressing easy gluten-free recipe

It is so well balanced with a great mix of flavors and textures, but it is the Ginger Peanut Dressing that makes me come back for more and more!

Rainbow Crunch Salad edamame ginger peanut dressing easy gluten-free recipe

Make ahead:

Since the veggies are hearty, this salad holds up well for a day or two but to keep freshest, I always recommend assembling the salad but not tossing with dressing until ready to serve or day or serving to keep freshest.

Serving ideas:

This salad is great on it’s own for lunch as it had edamame and peanuts for protein… and feel free to top with extra edamame or extra peanuts as desired or even toss in some tofu or grilled chicken for extra protein.

And it is also perfect as a side dish with so many proteins of choice.

And since it doesn’t wilt it is great for a gathering indoors or outdoors!

Hope you love it!

For more Hearty Salads, click here.

For our Greek Chickpea Salad, click here.

For our Asian Chickpea Salad, click here.

For the Mexican Chopped Salad, click here.

For the Quinoa Salad with roasted squash and caramelized onions, click here.

For our Wild Rice Salad with cranberries & pecans, click here.

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Recipe

 

Rainbow Crunch Salad edamame ginger peanut dressing easy gluten-free recipe
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Rainbow Crunch Salad with Ginger Peanut Dressing

Gluten-free and vegetarian, this colorful salad has great crunch and the yummiest Ginger Peanut Dressing! Easy to assemble, adaptable to tastes and perfect on its own (hello edamame for protein!) or served as a side dish.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time7 minutes
Course: Salad, Lunch, Salad Dressing
Cuisine: Gluten-Free, Gluten-free Vegetarian
Keyword: hearty salad recipe, Ginger Peanut Dressing, hearty gluten-free vegetarian salad, hearty vegetarian salad, rainbow crunch salad, homemade ginger peanut salad dressing
Servings: 6 servings
Author: Healthy Gluten-free Family

Ingredients

Rainbow Crunch Salad

  • 2 cups green cabbage, sliced into thin strips or diced (your preference)
  • 2 cups purple cabbage, sliced into thin strips or diced (your preference)
  • 1 cup shredded carrots
  • 1 large red bell pepper, de-seeded and thinly sliced or diced (your preference)
  • ¾ cup 1 bunch scallions, green part only, sliced approximately 3/4 cup
  • ½-1 cup fresh basil , cut small or sliced into strips
  • cup frozen shelled edamame (plus salt for salting water) (plus salt for salting water)
  • ½-1 cup salted roasted peanuts more to taste

Peanut Ginger Dressing

  • cup natural creamy peanut butter
  • 1 tablespoon gluten-free tamari
  • 1 ½ - 2 inch piece fresh ginger (or 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger) I cut outer skin off the ginger and usually use a piece that's 1 ½ - 2 inches long, ½-¾ inches wide
  • 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
  • 2 squirts sriracha
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (juice of 1 large lime or two smaller ones)
  • ¼ cup hot water

Instructions

Ginger Peanut Dressing

  • Place all ingredients in a small blender and blended until smooth, approximately 1 minute. Taste and add more ginger or lime juice to taste. Set aside. Can be made a day or two ahead and stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

Salad

  • Make the Edamame while you chop other vegetables. Following the instructions on the package, bring a pot of well salted water to a boil. Add Edamame, bring to a second boil and and cook 5-7 minutes until crisp tender. Drain from water and set aside. Can be made ahead.
  • In a large bowl, add all chopped veggies, cooked edamame,and peanuts and mix together. Add dressing and toss until well combined. Serve and enjoy.

Make ahead:

  • If making ahead or not enjoying all at once, prep the salad but toss with Ginger Peanut Dressing only when ready to serve (or day of serving) to keep freshest.
Tried this recipe?Mention @HealthyGFFamily or tag #HealthyGFFamily!

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