Hi friends!
Quinoa salads are a meal prep staple in my house! So many of you seemed interested when I posted a quinoa salad on my Instagram that I wanted to roll out this recipe faster for you. I find quinoa is the perfect grain for summer because it’s light and airy and can be easily made warm or cold to take on your spring and summer events or become a more savoury, heavy meal in the winter with the addition of meats and different flavours.
I love salads like these because they are fun to whip up using whatever ingredients you have on hand. I wanted to use Mexican type ingredients so I threw in corn, cilantro, tomatoes and black beans but feel free to add some feta, olives or whatever else you’d like! For this quinoa salad recipe, I wanted to keep it vegan and gluten-free for this recipe.
I really hope you try out this delicious recipe! Please tag me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @balancingandie so I can see your lovely creation friends! To never miss a post again, you can subscribe to my blog on your right hand panel and receive a freebie too!
Ingredients
Quinoa
- 3/4 cup dry quinoa (variety of choice) (cooked pursuant to below)
- 1.5 cups frozen or canned corn, drained
- 3 Roma tomatoes, chopped
- quarter of red onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro (including stems)
- 1.5 cups cooked black beans, drained
Dressing
- 2 lemons, zest and juiced
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 3/4 tsp finely ground salt
- 1 tsp siracha (or to taste - can also use cayenne and adjust accordingly)
Optional:
- Avocado chunks
- Feta
- Toasted almonds etc.
Instructions
- Rinse quinoa in cold water. Boil 1.5 cups of water in a pot. Add the quinoa once the water is boiling. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until the water has absorbed.
- Fluff the quinoa with a fork and allow to cool with the lid partially off (This step can be done in advance and refrigerated)
- Mix dressing ingredients in a small bowl and chop all remaining ingredients while quinoa is cooling.
- Add all ingredients to a large bowl and mix well. Adjust salt and other seasonings as necessary.
- Add any optional ingredients and enjoy!
- Refrigerate any excess. Will last about 5 days in the refrigerator. However the colour may change a bit so if it's for a party, I would assemble it the day of. If using, avocado will also turn brown so add fresh.
