Southwestern Quinoa Salad

Today just feels like a two-post kind of day, so here you go.  This is one of my most favorite quinoa recipes of all time.  If you haven’t had quinoa before, I highly recommend it.  It’s a superfood, incredibly high in protein, full of fiber, iron and other nutrients.  I could go on about quinoa all day.  A few classmates and I did an advertising campaign for quinoa in college, so I am full of quinoa facts.

But on to the food!  This quinoa salad has yummy ingredients typical of a southwestern salad.  It is packed full of great flavors and textures and is great in a bowl on its own, over lettuce, with a side of tortilla chips or even with chicken or shrimp mixed in.  This is a great way to experiment with quinoa for your first time, too, because you’re probably familiar with the rest of the ingredients and you can’t really mess this up.  It’s great hot, and also great leftover and chilled the next day.

What you’ll need: quinoa, oil, black beans, corn, tomatoes, onion, cilantro, avocado, lime, garlic and cumin and cayenne pepper.

Melt the coconut oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Once it’s hot add the quinoa and toast for about three minutes until it smells nutty and looks a little golden.  Add two cups of water, stir so none of the quinoa is stuck to the bottom of the pan, cover, and turn the heat down to a simmer for 20 minutes, or until the quinoa has absorbed all of the water.

Meanwhile, prepare the dressing.  Whisk together the zest and juice of a lime, cumin, teaspoon of olive oil and dash of cayenne if you’re using it.

Chop up all of your mix-ins.

Once the quinoa is cooked, mix in the minced garlic, beans and corn directly into the pan.  Let that sit for about five minutes to warm the beans and corn and absorb the delicious flavors of the garlic.

To a large bowl, combine the quinoa, bean and corn mixture with the rest of the ingredients: tomatoes, onion, bell pepper, cilantro, avocado and dressing.  Stir until it’s all combined.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with tortilla chips and enjoy!

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

• 1 cup dry quinoa
• 1 Tablespoon of coconut oil (or olive oil)
• 2 cups of water
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 lime, juice and zest
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• dash of cayenne pepper (optional, to taste)
• 1 teaspoon of olive oil
• 1 15-oz. can of corn, drained
• 1 15-oz. can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped
• 1 avocado, diced
• salt and pepper, to taste

Steps

1. Melt the coconut oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
2. Once it’s hot add the quinoa and toast for about three minutes until it smells nutty and looks a little golden.
3. Add two cups of water, stir so none of the quinoa is stuck to the bottom of the pan, cover, and turn the heat down to a simmer for 20 minutes, or until the quinoa has absorbed all of the water.
4. Meanwhile, prepare the dressing.  Whisk together the zest and juice of a lime, cumin and teaspoon of olive oil.  Whisk in the cayenne pepper if you’re using it and adjust the seasonings to taste.
5. Once the quinoa is cooked, mix in the minced garlic, beans and corn directly into the pan.  Let that sit for about five minutes to warm the beans and corn and absorb the delicious flavors of the garlic.
6. To a large bowl, combine the quinoa, bean and corn mixture with the rest of the ingredients: tomatoes, onion, bell pepper, cilantro, avocado and dressing.  Stir until it’s all combined.
7. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
8. Serve with tortilla chips and enjoy!

Hugs, kisses & yummy dishes… xoxo

Lauren