Quinoa and black beans join forces with corn and avocado to make a sturdy salad with southwestern flavors. It’s a perfect main-dish salad, paired with a simple soup or Easy Quesadillas or Soft Tacos. Photos by Evan Atlas.
Quinoa and Black Bean Salad with Corn and Avocado
Quinoa and black beans join forces with corn and avocado to make a sturdy salad with southwestern flavors. It’s a perfect main-dish salad.
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Servings: 4 to 6
Ingredients
- ¾ cup uncooked quinoa rinsed in a fine sieve
- 1 cup halved yellow or red cherry tomatoes
- 1 medium firm ripe avocado, peeled and diced
- ½ medium orange or yellow bell pepper optional
- 1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels lightly cooked
- 1 cup cooked or canned drained and rinsed black or pinto beans
- 2 scallions green parts only, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup minced fresh cilantro
- ½ cup salsa use your favorite variety
- 1 to 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil as desired
- Juice of ½ to lime to taste
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- Salt and dried hot red pepper flakes to taste
Instructions
- Combine the quinoa with 1 ½ cups water in a small saucepan and bring to a rapid simmer, then lower the heat. Cover and simmer gently for 15 minutes, or until the water is absorbed.
- Transfer the quinoa to a serving container to cool. If need be, speed up the cooling process by refrigerating for a while.
- Once the quinoa is just warm, combine it with the remaining ingredients in the container and stir together. Serve at once.
Vegan-ize any recipe!Grab our free vegan cheat sheet, packed with my favorite easy substitutions to make any recipe vegan.
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- Explore Vegkitchen’s wide array of quinoa recipes.
- Explore more of VegKitchen’s Main-Dish Salads.
- Here are more of VegKitchen’s Vegan Dinner Recipes and
more Main Dishes Featuring Grains and/or Beans.
JennyG says
There is no need to add olive oil to this dish. Rely on the squirt of fresh juice from the lime (or a lemon) and the liquid from the salsa. If you crave the taste of fat, I suggest grinding some flax seeds and sprinkling them on top.
To create a creamy sauce, blend raw cashews with a ripe mango and a splash of rice vinegar.
Talia says
Made this tonight! So good. I added mango and subbed the bell pepper for jalepenos.
I also added shrimp. It was amazing!
Tammy says
I made this for a potluck. I added 1/4 cup of red onion. Everyone was raving about it and there wasn't a spoonful left. It was perfect light, healthy dish for a summer barbecue. I'll make this one again!