Best Southwestern Quinoa Salad Recipe

For a great Southwestern quinoa salad, keep it simple; this quinoa recipe is delicious, easy to make, and a great choice for a healthy meal. I go easy on the seasoning, just a little salt and pepper,’ some lemon juice, and a splash of pickled jalapeno juice (if you feel like it). Since quinoa is a complete protein, this Southwest inspired salad makes an ideal vegetarian recipe, doubly so because the quinoa is paired with black beans.
A printable copy of this recipe can be found at

Give this quinoa salad recipe a try and let me know what you think, and for more quinoa recipes, check out my Quinoa recipe Playlist for more terrific salad ideas as well as many other quinoa options.
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What you need to make a Southwestern Quinoa Salad —

2 cups COOKED QUINOA
1 15 oz can BLACK BEANS
10-15 sliced CHERRY TOMATOES
1 AVOCADO
½ diced YELLOW BELL PEPPER
3-5 chopped GREEN ONIONS
¼ cup chopped, pickled JALEPENO
½ cup chopped CILANTRO
1 LEMON …juice and zest (or sub a lime)
2 Tbsp OLIVE OIL
SALT and PEPPER to taste

How to make a Southwest Quinoa Salad —

Cook up the quinoa just like rice: 1 part quinoa to 2 parts water, bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until the water is absorbed. Fluff the quinoa and then set aside uncovered to cool.
while the quinoa cools, prepare the veggies:
–Dice ½ a yellow bell pepper –or any color pepper– but if you’re like me and you’re making a corn-free southwest quinoa salad, then using a yellow pepper will make your quinoa salad more lovely to look at.
–Slice some cherry tomatoes. Cherry tomatoes have a great flavor, and the hardiness of the tiny tomato makes it the perfect choice for a salad.
–Remove and mince the zest from 1 small lemon, and then slice the lemon in half.
–Chop up some green onions, and cilantro.
–If you like a little heat, chop up some pickled jalapeno, too, and reserve a Tbsp of the jalapeno pickling juice for added kick and flavor.

When the quinoa cools, add 2 cups of the cooked quinoa to a large mixing bowl.
Rinse and drain the black beans and add them to the bowl.
Add the yellow pepper, jalapeno pepper, onion, cilantro, lemon zest, olive oil, juice from half the lemon, and salt and pepper.
Mix ingredients thoroughly.

Add tomato.
Slice avocado and add to salad.
Take the remaining lemon half and squeeze its juice over the cut avocado, this will preserve the vibrancy of the avocado.

Gently mix the salad and serve.

It tastes great on it’s own, as a healthy side dish, or serve over a bed of fresh greens for a super salad topping.

Give healthy southwest quinoa salad recipe a try and let me know what you think, and bon appétit!

And for more great quinoa recipes, check out my Quinoa Recipe Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWQmw8wY3TOfFpxljYipDgoLyaxfMe4pX

“Your Call” by Kevin MacLeod. Music track used with permission Creative Commons: By Attribution and found at this link:
http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1500010

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