Southwest Quinoa Salad

Southwest Quinoa Salad – delicious as a flavorful side dish or hearty main meal.  Made with delicious Southwest seasonings, this chilled salad is amazing!

Southwest Quinoa Salad recipe by Katie of The Casual Craftlete for I Heart Naptime.

Hello there!  I am so happy to be a new contributor for I Heart Naptime in 2016.  Once a month I will be sharing some of my favorite recipes and today I am kicking things off with a Southwest Quinoa Salad.  I just love Southwest and Mexican food; I could eat it everyday!

MY OTHER RECIPES

Since it is the beginning of the New Year, I wanted to lighten things up a bit with a healthier recipe that has all the same great flavors and textures as a traditional Southwest salad.  This salad recipe can be made ahead of time and is best served chilled.  It’s the perfect side dish but it is also hearty enough for a main meal.  This makes for a great lunch throughout the week!

This Southwest Quinoa Salad has bold flavors and is such a healthy recipe.  It is made with a fresh vegetable mixture, homemade salad dressing, and quinoa.  Quinoa is a gluten-free grain that is mild in flavor, has a light crunch, and is packed with protein.  It is such a great component to add lots of flavorful Southwest seasoning.

This recipe is so good you won’t even miss any meat.  I make this salad recipe ahead of time because it is best served chilled.  I just love the versatility and the yummy ingredients of this salad recipe. This Southwest Quinoa Salad makes a filling lunch, hearty dinner, or perfect side dish do any Southwest or Mexican meal.

Southwest Quinoa Salad Printable Recipe

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Southwest Quinoa Salad

Yield: 4 to 6

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes plus chill time

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa, rinsed
2 cups water or broth (I used chicken broth)
1 can black beans
1 can whole kernel corn
1 orange bell pepper, chopped
1/2 pint grape tomatoes, sliced
3 green onions
Handful fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 2 large limes
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons garlic salt
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced

Directions:

Cook quinoa as directed on package. Once the quinoa is completely cooked,set it aside to cool.
Drain and rinse the canned black beans and corn. Pat dry with paper towels and place into a large bowl.
Add chopped bell pepper, sliced grape tomatoes, green onions, and cilantro into the bowl with beans and corn.
In a seperate small bowl, whisk together olive oil, lime juice, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, and diced jalapeno.
Add the cooled quinoa to the vegetable mixture. Pour dressing over top the salad and toss until combined. Season to taste.
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. Served chilled.

Thank you for letting me share my Southwest Quinoa Salad recipe.  I hope you enjoy it as much as my family and I do.  If you enjoy this recipe, you might also like my Blackberry Arugula Salad with Citrus Dressing.

Thanks, Katie! This looks delicious!

If you love this amazing, healthy recipe, you’ll like these too!

• Shredded Chicken Taco Salad
• Hearty Vegetable Soup
• Top 50 Salads
• Thai Pizza with Zucchini and Pickled Onions