This Mexican Quinoa Salad has it all – it’s colorful, has great texture and is packed with flavor! Naturally gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan.
As we approach the end of the year, I’ve been thinking seriously about my goals for 2017.
There are the personal ones.
Lose weight.
Start meditating and doing yoga.
Keep up my daily work-outs. (YAY, me…I’m going on two months of being consistent.)
Have more travel experiences with the family.
Spend more one on one time with the kids.
And then there are business goals.
Increase my income while creating content that is true to myself.
Work on what matters most and outsource the rest.
Improve my photography.
Create more recipes.
Another thing I want to do in the new year is re-visit some of the older quinoa recipes that were reader favorites and update them for the website.
Back in the day (2010/2011/2012) all of the photos were shot with a little point and shoot camera. I had no idea what I was doing, and the quality was worse that what I’d get from an iPhone today.
I’m getting a little head start on this project today with this Mexican Quinoa Salad. It has always been a favorite of readers, and mine too.
This quinoa salad recipe has it all going on – it’s colorful, has great texture and is packed with flavor. It is one I’ve made again and again and I know you will enjoy it too.
You may also like these vegan salad recipes:
Roasted Garlic & Tomato Lentil Salad
Mexican Quinoa Salad
This Mexican Quinoa Salad has it all - it's colorful, has great texture and is packed with flavor! Naturally gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
- 1 1/2 cups cooked black beans drained and rinsed (1 can)
- 1 cup organic frozen corn thawed
- 1 to mato seeded and diced
- 1/2 red onion sliced thin
- 2 tablespoons pickled jalapeño diced
- 4 organic corn tortillas
- Dressing
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 1/2 - 1 chipotle chilie in adobo sauce The dish will be HOT if you use 1
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon honey or agave nectar
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- For serving: 1 avocado diced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl, combine cooked quinoa, black beans, corn, tomato, red onion and pickled jalapeño.
- Slice corn tortillas into thin strips.
- Spray a baking sheet with olive oil and add tortilla strips.
- Spray again.
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper if desired.
- Bake for 10-15 minute, until crispy. (Check often to make sure the tortillas don't burn - I was using homemade tortillas and they took closer to 15 minutes. I'm guessing store bought may not take as long.)
- Meanwhile, in a blender or food processor, combine lime juice, chipotle Chile, garlic, cilantro, olive oil, honey or agave nectar, cumin and sea salt. Process until mixture is smooth.
- Toss desired amount of dressing with the quinoa mixture.
- Plate quinoa and top with avocado and tortilla strips. (If making ahead, wait to put avocado and tortilla strips on at the last minute. Store leftover tortilla strips in an air tight bag, and return to oven to crisp if desired prior to serving.)
Recipe Notes
Protein: 7.7 g Carbohydrates:47.2 g Fiber: 8.3 g
I love this! It sounds so good, and it’s a regular super salad. All of those ingredients are so good for you, especially quinoa.
Thanks Stacie!
I don’t usually like quinoa that much, but this salad looks so colorful and tasty I just might try it out!
Let me know how it goes if you try it!
This looks amazing, I like to fix light dinners throughout the week because we eat so much on the weekends! Thanks, for sharing.
I love the idea of lightening up during the week to make room for the weekends. Especially this time of year.
Oh my gosh does that looks awesome!! I need something like this to give me the flavors I crave and still not kill my diet!
Thanks so much Jeanette! This is a great way to get those Mexican flavors and not get off track with your diet.
Ok, now this recipe looks amazing! I used to be so intimidated my quinoa but now I love it! I need to make this!!
Thanks so much! I hope you enjoy it!
Wow that looks amazing! I so gotta make this for lunch! Love me some quinoa salad!
Thanks so much! I hope you enjoy it.
*Wendy Polisi*
*https://wendypolisi.com *
That looks so amazing! I’m always looking for a good salad. I’ll have to give this one a try.
Thanks Kathy! I hope you enjoy it.
*Wendy Polisi*
*https://wendypolisi.com *
This looks so delicious and easy to make. My family is going to love this recipe. I am always looking for new things to make.
Thanks so much Ann! I hope you enjoy it.
*Wendy Polisi*
*https://wendypolisi.com *
This looks so good. I bought some quinoa and still haven’t tried it. I guess I should make this salad.
Thanks so much! Enjoy!
*Wendy Polisi*
*https://wendypolisi.com *
Thanks so much! I am a quinoa fan myself. 🙂
*Wendy Polisi*
*https://wendypolisi.com *
We went on a big quinoa kick a few months ago. My wife made a chicken quinoa soup that was amazing. It’s a great way to add some serious nutrition to almost any dish.
I wish I had the time to re-work some of my early photography, investing in a DSLR was the best investment for my blog by far!
Tracy @ Ascending Butterfly