Add Foreign Flair to Home Cooking with Blakely Trettenero: Thai Quinoa Salad

International cuisine can seem intimidating to anyone who’s not a top chef.

But in reality, it’s not difficult to add a pinch of foreign flavor to your kitchen, says Blakely Trettenero, a chef, world traveler and host of Cooking for Bimbos (www.cookingforbimbos.com) and Hungry for Travels (www.hungryfortravels.com).

Trettenero, who makes difficult dishes easy on her cooking website with the tongue-in-check name, has visited more than 30 countries and made many food discoveries along the way.

“While in Italy, I realized pasta in the United States is second rate,” says Trettenero, who has been featured on several TV shows. “That dried stuff we buy in a box doesn’t cut it. If you've ever had homemade pasta, you know what I mean.”

Thai Style Quinoa Salad

Salad ingredients
• 3 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups quinoa
• 1/4 red cabbage head, sliced thin
• 1/2 cucumber, diced
• 3 scallions, sliced
• 1 carrot, shredded
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 cup thawed edamame
Vinaigrette ingredients
• Juice from 3 limes
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
Toppings (optional)
• Chopped fresh cilantro
• Chopped unsalted peanuts
• Grilled Chicken

Instructions
1. Cook quinoa according to package directions. Put cooked quinoa in large mixing bowl. 
Add sliced cabbage, diced cucumber, shredded carrot, sliced scallion, edamame, and diced red bell pepper
2. In small bowl, mix the lime juice, minced garlic, grated ginger, soy sauce, honey, and vegetable oil
3. Add the vinaigrette to the quinoa and mix everything until combined and coated in the vinaigrette
4. Serve in a bowl and add optional toppings.

Enjoy!

Blakely Trettenero, host of the Cooking for Bimbos (www.cookingforbimbos.com) and Hungry for Travels (www.hungryfortravels.com) websites, is a graduate of the Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Orlando, Fla. She also is a world traveler, having visited more than 30 countries, and is becoming a frequent guest on TV.