Southwest Quinoa Salad
Nutritious and delicious, this southwestern-inspired Quinoa Salad recipe will quickly become a summertime staple with its sweet pops of corn, bell pepper, mild green onion, and zingy jalapeno lime dressing.
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 197kcal
Ingredients
Corny Quinoa Salad
- 1 cup white quinoa dried quinoa, rinsed
- 2 cups water
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 15-ounce can corn (or use fresh corn if it's in season)
- 1 green bell pepper finely diced
- 5 green onions finely sliced
Jalapeno Lime Vinaigrette
- 5 tablespoons lime juice (about 2 small limes)
- 1 jalapeno seeded
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil (use a good quality EVOO with a mild flavor)
Instructions
- Add 2 cups of water, ½ teaspoon salt, and 1 cup of rinsed white quinoa to a pot. Bring to a boil. Immediately reduce heat to low and cover.2 cups water, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 cup white quinoa
- Cook for around 15 minutes, or until there is no more water in the pot. Remove from heat. Spread the quinoa out on a sheet tray to cool.
- Add 5 tablespoons lime juice, 1 seeded jalapeno, ½ teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, and ½ teaspoon dried basil to a blender. Blend for 15-20 seconds. Check to make sure the jalapeno is nicely pulverized. If not, blend for a few more seconds.5 tablespoons lime juice , 1 jalapeno, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon dried basil
- Hit blend again and slowly drizzle in ¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil, blending for 20-30 seconds to emulsify.¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Add cooled quinoa, along with corn (strained if using canned, cooked and kernels removed from the cob if using fresh), bell pepper, and green onions to a bowl. Pour half of the vinaigrette into the bowl and gently stir a few times to combine. Add the rest of the vinaigrette and stir a few more times.1 15-ounce can corn, 1 green bell pepper, 5 green onions
- Serve with garnishes like crumbly cheese or red pepper flakes, if desired.
- For best results, let chill 2 hours before serving. Keeps in a covered container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Notes
- For best results, let the salad chill for 2 hours before serving. This allows time for the flavors to meld and the salad to chill. Before serving, give the quinoa salad a good stir.
- Store the salad covered in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Feel free to try with a different dressing like this creamy salsa dressing or dill pickle salad dressing.
Nutrition
Calories: 197kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Sodium: 396mg | Potassium: 251mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 212IU | Vitamin C: 24mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 2mg