Trying to find a salad to take to work this week and this one sounds like a winner!! I usually try to make something ahead of time so I know if it is good or not, but who doesn't like a southwestern salad !! I will let you know how it goes :)
Southwest Quinoa Salad
Gluten Free and Vegetarian
Serves: 8
Makes: 8 cups
INGREDIENTS:
•1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
•1/3 cup olive oil
•3 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
•Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
•1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
•1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted, or 1 tsp ground cumin
•High-heat cooking oil (such as sunflower, safflower, peanut or grape seed oil), as needed to lightly coat grill grate
•2 cobs fresh corn, husks and silk removed (or 1 1/4 cups frozen corn, thawed)
•1 cup cooked black beans, drained
•1 plum tomato, diced
•1 zucchini or yellow zucchini squash, diced
•1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
INSTRUCTIONS:
1.In a small bowl, whisk lemon juice, olive oil, cilantro, salt and pepper; set aside.
2.In a saucepan, bring 2 cups water to a boil; add quinoa and cumin. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until liquid is absorbed, about 12 minutes. Remove pan from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Uncover, fluff with a fork and let cool for at least 10 minutes.
3.Meanwhile, heat an outdoor grill to medium-high and lightly oil grate with cooking oil. Add corn, close lid and grill, turning once, until tender and lightly charred, 10 to 15 minutes. (Alternatively, boil cobs in a large pot of simmering water. Cover and cook until tender, 6 to 10 minutes.) Let corn cool, then cut kernels from cob.
4.In a large bowl, combine quinoa, corn kernels, beans, tomato, zucchini and onion. Pour lemon-cilantro dressing over top and toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate salad for at least 1 hour to allow flavors to meld, or up to 2 days.
Nutrients per serving (1 cup Southwest Quinoa Salad): Calories: 221, Total Fat: 11 g, Sat. Fat: 1.5 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 8 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2 g, Carbs: 26 g, Fiber: 4.5 g, Sugars: 2 g, Protein: 6 g, Sodium: 23 mg, Cholesterol: 0 mg
I also added Grilled chicken in buffalo sauce & it was AH.MAZING!!
If you try it let me know what you think !!
