Description
Vibrant, zippy, & zesty Southwest Quinoa Salad! Enjoy it cold or serve it at room temperature, this quinoa black bean salad is an awesome plant-powered meal or side dish for warm weather dinners or potlucks. Quick, easy, light, & super meal prep-friendly! Naturally vegetarian & gluten-free, very easily vegan & dairy-free.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
- 1 14-ounce can black beans, drained & rinsed
- 1 small red onion, finely diced
- 1 small jalapeno pepper, deseeded as desired & finely diced
- 8 ounces radishes, cut into fine matchsticks (I use a julienne chopper)
- 8 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
- 1 large avocado, deseeded & diced
- optional: 4 ounces queso fresco, crumbled
- ½ cup cilantro leaves & tender stems, finely chopped
for the dressing:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2–3 large, juicy limes, zested & juiced
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ground black pepper or crushed red pepper flake, as desired
Instructions
PREP:
- Cook the quinoa: Add 1/2 cup dry quinoa and 1 cup water or stock to a small saucepan with a lid. Season with a generous pinch of salt. Bring the mixture to a boil (uncovered) over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low or medium-low, bringing the quinoa to a slow simmer. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat & let stand (covered) for 5 minutes. Uncover & fluff with a fork. Set aside, or store in an individual airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- Chop the veggies: Finely dice the jalapeno & red onion. Julienne the radishes. Halve or quarter the cherry tomatoes. Set aside, or store in individual airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Southwest Quinoa Salad Assembly & Serving:
- Mix the dressing: Add all listed ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
- Assembly: Combine the quinoa, black beans, red onion, jalapeno, radish, tomatoes, avocado, queso fresco (if using), & cilantro in the mixing bowl over the dressing. Toss to combine, ensuring all of the quinoa is well coated in the dressing. Taste, seasoning with additional salt or ground black pepper as desired.
- Serving: Serve it on its own for the perfect light + fresh vegetarian meal, or add a generous spoonful to your dinner plate. This salad is an awesome side dish for grilled chicken or taco night!
Notes
- Make-Ahead & Storage: This Southwest Quinoa Salad is best when served within 3 days of assembly, though it’ll keep for up to 5 days. Store the assembled quinoa salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Meal prep: If you’d like to do just a little prep in advance to help cut down on the active prep time when you make your Southwest Quinoa Salad, there are a couple of different routes you can go…
- 15-minute meal prep: Chop the fresh herbs & veggies, & make the salad dressing. Prep the cumin-lime dressing according to Step 1 of Recipe Directions, above, & store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Finely dice a red onion & jalapeno. Shred some radishes into matchsticks. Halve or quarter some cherry tomatoes. Finely chop cilantro. Store the chopped veggies & herbs in individual airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- 20-minute meal prep: Cook the quinoa according to Recipe Directions, above. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. (5 minutes active prep)