This zesty quinoa salad with avocado is loaded with beans, corn, peppers, and onions and tossed in a southwest inspired lime vinaigrette. This salad comes together in 30 minutes and is great for food prep, a meatless meal, or a side dish!
1canchickpeas, drained and rinsed (same thing as garbanzo beans)
1cupfrozen sweet corn, thawed
1red pepper, chopped
½cupchopped red onion
½cupchopped fresh cilantro
1avocado(for serving)
Ingredients for the Dressing
¼cupfresh lime juice
¼cupavocado oil
1tbsp.lime zest
1tbsp.honey
½tsp.garlic powder
½ tsp.ground cumin
¼tsp.salt
Instructions
Cook quinoa according to the package directions. After quinoa has cooked, spread quinoa out on a cookie sheet and place in freezer for 10 minutes to allow quinoa to cool.
While the quinoa cooks, prepare the dressing. In a small jar or bowl, add all of the dressing ingredients. If using a jar, cover jar and shake ingredients together, or whisk together if in a bowl. Place dressing in fridge until ready to add to the salad.
After quinoa has cooled, transfer quinoa to a large bowl and add in the black beans, chickpeas, corn, peppers, onion, and cilantro. Pour dressing (shake or mix dressing again before adding to salad) over salad ingredients and mix until combined. Taste and add in additional salt or fresh lime juice if desired.
You can serve right away, or place in fridge until ready to serve. I like to let the salad sit in the fridge for an extra 30 minutes before serving. This allows the salad to further cool and allows everything to marinate. However, it can be served right away too. Chop a fresh avocado and add to salad prior to serving.
Enjoy!
Notes
I recommend finely chopping the bell pepper and onion. I find that smaller pieces helps to distribute the flavor and crunch more evenly.
Dice the avocado and add to the salad right before serving. If you have leftovers, no worries. The avocado may brown slightly, but it will still taste good.