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Zesty Southwest Quinoa Salad (with avocado)

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!
Course Salad
Cuisine Mexican, southwest
Diet Gluten Free
Prep Time 30 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 10 side servings
Calories 248kcal
Author Sara

Ingredients

Ingredients for the Salad

  • 1 cup dry quinoa
  • 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (same thing as garbanzo beans)
  • 1 cup frozen sweet corn, thawed
  • 1 red pepper, chopped
  • ½ cup chopped red onion
  • ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1 avocado (for serving)

Ingredients for the Dressing

  • ¼ cup fresh lime juice
  • ¼ cup avocado oil
  • 1 tbsp. lime zest
  • 1 tbsp. honey
  • ½ tsp. garlic powder
  • ½ tsp. ground cumin
  • ¼ tsp. 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.

Nutrition

Calories: 248kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Sodium: 66mg | Potassium: 483mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 583IU | Vitamin C: 26mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 2mg