Southwestern Quinoa Salad

Submitted by Melissa

"A bit spicy and packed with protein. Sometimes I add grilled chicken to make it a meal."

 

• Ready In: 25mins
• Ingredients: 15
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa, uncooked
• 2 cups water
• 1⁄3 cup chopped tomato
• 1⁄2 cup chopped celery
• 1⁄2 cup frozen corn, defrosted
• 1⁄2 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1⁄2 cup red onion, thinly sliced
• 1⁄2 cup seedless cucumber, diced

• Dressing

• 1 chipotle chile in adobo
• 2 tablespoons light sour cream
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 3⁄4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt

directions

1. Cook quinoa according to package directions.
2. Spread on a baking sheet to cool.
3. Mix cooled quinoa with vegetables and beans.
4. Blend dressing ingredients in blender until smooth.
5. Mix dressing with quinoa.
6. Chill and serve.

Reviews

[pringlepups]

I'm sorry, this is not a review but a question: Do you blend all of the dressing ingredients? I ask because I believe that the chilies in adobo sauce are whole. If I am incorrect, please forgive me and let me know. I have bought these in the past and the chilies were whole. This is why I am asking. Thank you.

 

[Grandmakristin]

Really yummy, but do agree with another reviewer who thought it was a little dry and needed a little tweaking. I also added some additional salt, pepper, olive oil and a little sugar. I also used chipotle pepper powder as I didn't have canned. Yum! Thanks Melissa for a great recipe!

 

[trisha kammers]

I also chopped the onions and added some grated garlic and olive oil to the dressing. I omited the corn as I do not like it and added some chopped red bell pepper. I used grape tomatoes cut in half. I also toasted the quinoa after rinsing it. Nice nutty flvor.

 

[Bayhill]

I am always looking for new ways to fix quinoa, so I was glad to come upon this recipe. I initially made it as written except that I increased the tomato to 1/2 cup, and chopped the onion instead of leaving it in slices. After letting the salad chill, it had a good basic flavor but I felt that it needed some tweaking. I added a little olive oil as it seemed a little dry. Also, I added some additional salt, some black pepper, and a little sugar. The end result was a salad I will definitely make again. We really loved the zinginess that the chipotle pepper added. Thank you for sharing this great salad. Made for My-3-Chefs.