Spicy Sweet Potato, Black Bean & Corn Quinoa Salad

I’m not really sure where June is going – the last couple of weeks have been such a whirlwind. We’ve been on the road a lot and are now visiting with family.

Some people would take a break, but apparently I’m a little crazy. Instead of enjoying the rare help I’ve had with the boys, instead I’ve been a recipe writing fool.

I’ve now written the first 50 recipes for my Gluten Free Quinoa Cookbook which will hopefully be out in the summer of 2013. Of course, I’ve got a lot of testing to do but I’m really happy with my progress so far. I am also super excited about baking with quinoa flour. Believe it or not, there is a way to mellow the taste so it isn’t so, well…stinky. More on that later.

For the website I’ve been doing a lot of Mexican/Spicy quinoa dishes lately, mostly because that’s what we like to eat. Most of them have been tacos, casseroles or wraps of some kind. They have all been reasonably healthy, but not exactly whole foods meals. So today I though I would get back on track with a new quinoa salad that we’ve been enjoying as part of the June Salad Challenge.

This salad is a little bit different from any of my other quinoa salads. You can serve it as is, but I really like it served on top of a bed of fresh romaine. The dressing is more than enough to cover both, so if you don’t want to serve it over lettuce you can expect to have some left.

The hubby went a step further and had it over greens with a dollop of leftover garlic lime mayo on top along with some Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce. He said it was delicious but I wouldn’t know because I was trying to be good and skip the mayo. (Mayonnaise never used to be a problem for me but now that we are buying Veganaise I suddenly want it on everything. What’s up with that? Is it my imagination or is it really just that much better?)

I’m off to the fabric store with my mom to try to find some fabrics to use in my photographs for the book. Maybe I’ll even take the afternoon off! 🙂

Recipe inspired by Raising the Salad Bar

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Spicy Sweet Potato, Black Bean & Corn Quinoa Salad

Author Wendy Polisi

Ingredients

• 2 medium sweet potatoes peeled and cut into chunks (about 5 cups)
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• ½ teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon chili powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 cups frozen corn thawed
• 2 cups cooked quinoa
• 2 cups cooked black beans drained and rinsed (canned is fine)
• 4 scallions sliced thin
• ½ cup chopped cilantro
• Dressing
• 1 chipotle chili from a can of chipotles in adobo
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 2 tablespoons Thai Sweet Chile Sauce
• 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
• ½ cup water + 1 tablespoon Chia Seeds or 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with oil.
2. In a large bowl combine sweet potato chunks, olive oil, coriander, cumin, chili powder and salt. Toss until well combined. Spread on prepared baking sheet in and single layer. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until sweet potatoes are tender. Allow the potatoes to cool slightly.
3. Meanwhile, if using chia gel in place of oil in the dressing, combine chia seeds and water and stir well. Set aside to allow a gel to form.
4. Steam the corn for about 3 minutes. Allow to cool slightly and combine with sweet potatoes, quinoa, black beans, scallions and cilantro.
5. Make the dressing by combining the chipotle chile, garlic, chile sauce and lime juice in a blender. Process until smooth. Add in chia gel or olive oil while the blender is running and process until well combined. Salt and pepper to taste. Pour desired amount of dressing over salad. Can be served chilled or at room temperature.

Recipe Notes

Calories 279, Fat 4.9g, Carbohydrates 50.9g, Protein 11.5g, Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 363mg, Fiber 11g, Sugars 7.8g, Weight Watchers Points Plus 7, Old Points 5