Southwest quinoa salad with avocado dressing

Southwest quinoa salad with avocado dressing

This vegetarian southwest quinoa salad is super simple and delicious. Mexican spiced quinoa with veggies, cotija cheese, and a spicy avocado dressing. YUM!

Course entree, Main Course, Salad

Cuisine American, Mexican

Keyword vegetarian

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Total Time 30

Servings servings

Calories 323kcal

Author Trish Bozeman

Ingredients

FOR THE QUINOA

1 tablespoon olive oil or avocado oil
1 tablespoon New Mexico chile powder or other chile powder
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup water
½ cup dry quinoa

FOR THE AVOCADO DRESSING

1 large avocado, pitted and peeled
1 tablespoon sour cream
2 tablespoon canned green chiles
2 medium limes, juiced
⅓ cup water
salt and pepper

FOR THE SALAD

2 ears corn, kernels removed from the cob
½ can black beans, rinsed and patted dry
1 medium yellow bell pepper, chopped
½ cop chopped green onion
½ cup crumbled cotija cheese
1 large handful of fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
4 slices fresh lime for serving (optional)

Instructions

FOR THE QUINOA

In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the 1 tablespoon chile powder and ½ teaspoon cumin, and toast until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add 1 cup water and the ½ cup of dry quinoa. Stir and increase heat to high. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork and set aside.

FOR THE AVOCADO DRESSING

Meanwhile, combine the avocado, 1 tablespoon of sour cream, 2 tablespoon of green chiles, the lime juice from both limes, and ⅓ cup water in a food processor. Blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste and blend in.

FOR THE SALAD

In a large serving bowl, combine quinoa, corn, beans, bell pepper, green onion, cheese, cilantro, and tomatoes. Toss with dressing and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with lime slices to squeeze onto salad. (optional)

Nutrition