Southwestern Quinoa Salad
This Southwestern Quinoa Salad is bursting with flavor! A crunchy quinoa salad with chipotle quinoa, butter lettuce, pinto beans, tomatoes, avocado, corn and a tangy lime dressing.
Equipment
- Sauepan
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
- 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons chipotle in adobe sauce
- 2 teaspoons tomato paste
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 8 cups torn Butter lettuce, romaine lettuce or iceberg lettuce. You want something crisp for this salad.
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
- 1 15 ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup corn, cooked if frozen, rinsed if canned
- 8 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 large ripe avocado, chopped
- Cojita cheese, optional
Smoky Lime Dressing
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon each salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Cook the Quinoa
- Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook for 2-3 minutes, until just softened. Stir in the quinoa, chipotle, tomato paste, cumin and chili powder and toast for ~30 seconds then whisk in the vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook until quinoa is tender, about 12 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Make the dressing
- Place the lime juice, olive oil, minced garlic clove, smoked paprika and maple syrup and whisk together. Add in the salt, pepper, lettuce, scallions and cilantro and lightly toss to coat the lettuce leaves.
Assemble the Salad
- Add in the cooled quinoa, corn, cherry tomatoes, avocado and cojita cheese, if using. Toss together until well combined, adding more salt and pepper as needed to taste.
Nutrition
Serving: 1servingCalories: 404kcalCarbohydrates: 46gProtein: 11gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 15gSodium: 454mgPotassium: 1090mgFiber: 11gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 4270IUVitamin C: 29mgCalcium: 105mgIron: 5mg