Ready for a fiesta? Here’s how to make it healthy! This nutritious Fiesta Quinoa Salad is fun, colorful and, most importantly, delicious. The first time I made this my husband was sure he was going to hate it. As it turns out, it is one of his favorite quinoa salad recipes!
Few things make me happier than a healthy recipe that tastes great.
With the holiday weekend coming, I’ve been in such a festive mood.
Fall is my favorite time of year, and even though it doesn’t officially start for a few more weeks, I always go into fall mode after labor day. (Hello pumpkin and butternut squash.)
Just because fall is on the way, doesn’t mean that quinoa salads are out. Far from it!
I think quinoa salad recipes are great year around, don’t you?
This Fiesta Quinoa Salad is an update of recipe I originally developed more than seven years ago. (I can’t believe I’ve been blogging that long.)
My husband is no longer a quinoa fan, thanks to being subjected to way too many recipe trials when I blogged a Cooking Quinoa.
He saw the ingredients for it on the counter and smugly announced “Thank God you got me a steak. There is no way that is going to taste good.”
I can be a little persistent when it comes to getting an opinion on my recipes. And after some gentle requests ***cough***, he took a bite.
I could tell he was conflicted. He didn’t want to tell me he liked it.
But he finally admitted that this Fiesta Quinoa Salad is one of his favorite quinoa salad recipes ever.
It was a great way to say goodbye to summer – even though it still will feel like summer here in Florida for some time to come.
Tools for Making Fiesta Quinoa Salad
Fiesta Quinoa Salad Recipe
Fiesta Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked quinoa
- 1 cup frozen corn thawed
- 1 red pepper chopped
- 3 carrots shredded
- 3 scallions chopped
- 3/4 cup dried cranberries
- 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro chopped
- 4 tablespoons red onion chopped & divided
- 4 tablespoon soy sauce or gluten free tamari
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/8 teaspoon dried chipotle pepper powder or cayenne
- 1/4 cup pine nuts toasted
- 1/4 cup roasted pumpkin seeds
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine quinoa, corn, red pepper, carrots, scallions, cranberries, cilantro and 2 tablespoons of red onion.
- In your blender combine soy sauce, lemon juice, olive oil, remaining red onion, garlic, smoked paprika and dried chipotle powder. Season to taste with salt and pepper and process until smooth.
- Toss quinoa mixture with the desired amount of dressing. Top with almonds and pumpkin seeds
Nutrition
Give it a try and let me know what you think!
That sounds so good. I am looking forward to making this for my family.
Ahhh! That looks so good! I love all the flavors here, especially the citrus, and I love how healthy it is, too. Quinoa is such a healthy food.
Now this is my kind of quinoa salad. It’s plenty filling and it might be a good option for meal planning work lunches too.
The picture of that salad is so appetizing. Looks so fresh and full of so much crunchy goodness. I would love to make this or a variation for my health conscious kids.
We have to eat a lot of quinoa since we have so many food allergies. I am always looking for ways to dress it up and this sounds perfect!
I would say you could certainly enjoy this salad year round! It does sound like a tasty combination of ingredients!
I will have to try this recipe. I love quinoa, but not everyone else in my house does. There are enough ingredients in this that they may not notice that I am forcing them to eat healthy!
Looks like a great healthy and very colorful salad…perfect for our reunion we have coming up next weekend.
Quinoa is not something I cook with all the time but I do have a few quinoa recipes that I make as much as I can. This Fiesta Salad sounds awesome and it looks so good as well. It’s packed with all the right ingredients and I can’t wait to give it a try.
I love the ingredients you put together in this salad. All the textures coming together in one flavorful salad is so mouth watering! Thanks for the recipe idea!
I love your quinoa salad! Definitely something we can enjoy year round. I had to smile when I was reading about your husband’s skepticism towards the salad. Ha. You definitely proved him wrong. 🙂
I love a good salad recipe. It’s always nice to find a healthier option.