lemon poppy seed waffles
mexican hot chocolate cookies
perfect hot chocolate
savoury cheddar-chive waffles
winter citrus cocktails
quinoa salad with black beans, avocado and cumin-lime dressing
This is my kind of salad. I’ve written before about how awesome grain salads are as a go-to lunch option in the warmer months. I like big batches of things. Soups in the winter, salads in the summer. It’s easy.
Usually my grain salads lean towards Mediterranean flavours but this one has a Mexican spin. Black beans, avocado, cilantro, and a cumin-lime dressing all lend it that character. The cherry tomatoes I just couldn’t resist adding for a pop of juice and the red pepper adds sweetness and crunch.
Make this up on a Sunday afternoon and eat it through the week for lunches, you know, when it’s 100F (38C) outside (really, Minneapolis?). Corn tortilla chips on the side are optional but definitely recommended. Same with a Mexican beer. Yum.
Quinoa Salad with Black Beans, Avocado and Cumin-Lime Dressing
serves 4-6
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry quinoa, rinsed
- 1 tbsp olive oil or coconut oil
- 1 3/4 cup water
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 avocado, chopped into chunks
- handful cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 1/2 red onion, diced
- 1 small clove garlic, minced
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped into chunks
- small handful cilantro, diced
- 1 limes, juiced
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- salt, to taste
Directions
- Warm the olive/coconut oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once it’s hot add the rinsed quinoa and toast for about 2-3 minutes until it starts smelling nutty and lovely. Add water, stir once, cover, and simmer with a lid on for 20 minutes.
- While the quinoa is cooking, prepare all other ingredients. Prepare the dressing by combining the lime juice, oil, cumin, and salt. Whisk it aggressively. Adjust seasoning as necessary.
- When the quinoa has finished cooking, remove it from heat and fluff with a fork. Add black beans and toss to warm them through.
- Let the quinoa cool for about five minutes and then add all the remaining ingredients, including the dressing, and mix. Adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve with tortilla chips and a refreshing, cold beer.
Category: healthy food, recipe | Tags: gluten-free, grains, salad, vegetarian 26 comments »
June 8th, 2011 at 9:35 am
Everybody’s loving on Quinoa right now. Maybe I should a hint. Lovely recipe and pictures, as always…
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June 8th, 2011 at 9:36 am
Wow, this looks delicious and refreshing. I love cilantro in recipes, I just wish we could grow it longer here in NC! Your food photos are fantastic.
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June 8th, 2011 at 10:30 am
This post has basically read my mind. I’m also suffering through this ridiculous heat wave, and a healthy, light salad like this sounds ideal. It’s finally time to get over my fear of cooking quinoa I guess! Thanks for the timely recipe!
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Angharad Reply:
June 8th, 2011 at 10:45 am
It’s super easy! Very hard to mess up….and I should know :)
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June 10th, 2011 at 7:52 am
citrus based quinoa dressings are such gems. this sounds delish. and the vibrant photos! makes me wanna lick the screen…before 6 am? dont judge.
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Angharad Reply:
June 10th, 2011 at 9:40 am
No judging here. Ever.
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July 8th, 2011 at 9:22 am
This recipe looks unbelievable, I’m gonna try it really soon.
I recently wrote an article on the health benefits of quinoa, check it out.
http://www.theironyou.com/2011/03/more-on-quinoa.html
Peace
Mike @TheIronYou
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August 9th, 2011 at 2:38 pm
This looks really tasty and I’m all for cooking ahead but how do you keep the avocado from turning brown during the week?
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Angharad Reply:
August 9th, 2011 at 3:31 pm
Hi Janel, thanks for your comment! The lime in the dressing does a pretty good job of keeping brownness at bay with all that citric acid. Some browning is probably inevitable after a few days but I don’t personally find that it affects the deliciousness of the salad – plus it’s not usually around long enough in my house for it to really be a factor! Hope you enjoy it. – Angharad
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August 20th, 2011 at 10:56 pm
Your photos are so yummy looking! I love the addition of the cherry tomatoes!
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September 2nd, 2011 at 12:10 pm
Found your recipe pinned on Pinterest….
Just finished eating a delicious bowl of your YUM-O recipe! Thank you soooo much for posting! I. can’t. wait. to share this with my family for dinner tonight! Thinking of making homemade flour tortilla chips to go with it…
: )
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Angharad Reply:
September 2nd, 2011 at 2:01 pm
I’m so pleased you liked it! It’s really great with tortilla chips – how awesome are you making your own!? Enjoy :)
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September 26th, 2011 at 2:53 am
I just got done making this, minus the avocados, for a party I’m having tomorrow. Making it up to that point was great so that I could get some preparations done early. I’ll admit I stole a small bowl of it, and I can’t wait to get the finished product tomorrow! It’s also awesome that I can offer a dish for my vegan friend that will be attending. I’ll be serving it without the chips tomorrow, but I’m sure it’s great either way.
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Tanoi V Reply:
September 26th, 2011 at 7:31 pm
Well, it was a HUGE hit! So glad you shared this recipe.
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Angharad Reply:
September 27th, 2011 at 2:51 pm
Oh hurray! I’m so glad you and your party-goers liked it!
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October 10th, 2011 at 11:01 pm
Thank you!!! What an awesome vegan recipe! I am going to feature your post on my blog. This recipe is just perfect!
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November 10th, 2011 at 2:55 pm
Just finished making this recipe and I am in LOVE! So delicious! The cumin lime dressing is tastes wonderful. The only change I made was I used Trader Joe’s Harvest Grain blend (which has Israeli Couscous, Orzo, Baby Garbanzo beans, and Red Quinoa) instead of just using the quinoa. Thanks so much for another great recipe!
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Angharad Reply:
November 10th, 2011 at 10:08 pm
That sounds like such a good alternative, April! I’d love to try it with a mix of grains. Thanks for sharing!
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November 14th, 2011 at 1:05 pm
Wow, this was super delicious!! I would highy recommend. I modifed slightly and used half the amount of red onion and added 3 green onions sliced thinly as I like the flavor with quinoa. I also substituted yellow pepper instead of red due to availability. My salad looked just like your beautiful pictures. I brought it to work and shared with my co-workers who are raving about right now. Thank you for sharing!!
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January 2nd, 2012 at 7:06 pm
Just made this and it was delicious! Thank you!! I paired it with this equally amazing recipe for chipotle marinated chicken: http://youngmarriedchic.com/2011/06/model-chef-chic/
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January 11th, 2012 at 5:58 pm
I found this recipe via pinterest. I specifically searched for quinoa recipes and this caught my eye! It is sooooo good. Love the dressing! Thank you for sharing this, it will now be a staple in my house for lunch and mid-afternoon snacks.
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Angharad Reply:
January 11th, 2012 at 9:23 pm
Hi Jenelle, so happy to hear that! I love the dressing too – so simple but it really takes it to the next level. Thanks for saying hi :)
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January 13th, 2012 at 3:03 pm
Thanks for the great recipe! Made for a girls night :)
Re-pinned to Pinterest too!!
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February 7th, 2012 at 7:47 pm
OH. MY. GOSH. This is sooooo good. Sadly, I did not anticipate that my children would love it, too and so it’s already half gone. Seriously. I just finished making this and my little girls and I sat around with spoons eating it warm straight from the bowl, completely blissed out. :) Thanks for sharing!
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February 13th, 2012 at 1:12 pm
OMG! This is VERY GOOD! I served with blue organic corn chips. A little sour cream would be good with it too! This will definitely be a staple in my house!
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February 14th, 2012 at 2:51 pm
Just made this for lunch and LOVE it! Great recipe using the staples that are always in my kitchen-added chopped raw zucchini-delicious!
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