Quinoa Black Bean Salad with Lime Cumin Vinaigrette

Quinoa one of my favorite salad ingredients. Nutty and chock full of protein, it’s marvelous in this lightly dressed Quinoa Black Bean Salad.

This flavorful salad makes a scrumptious lunch and is ideal for picnics and summer potlucks. I love adding fresh corn to the mix when it’s in season!

Quinoa Black Bean Salad with Lime Cumin Vinaigrette

If I’m making a salad, I love to load it up with my favorite ingredients. This is a terrific quinoa based salad with lots of Tex-Mex influence. Black beans, grape tomatoes, avocados, cilantro, bell peppers are tossed with the quinoa and dressed with a flavorful lime vinaigrette.

What is Quinoa?

• Categorized as an ancient grain, quinoa is actually not a grain but instead the seed of a plant related to spinach. Quinoa was first grown in the Andes region of South America.
• Pronounced Keen-Wah, it’s the only food with a plant origin that contains all nine essential amino acids making it a protein packed pseudo-grain.
• Unrinsed, quinoa has a bitter coating, but most quinoa in the markets have been processed to remove this. Read you label and rinse before using if directed.
• PRO-Tip: Cook in well salted water or broth to get the best flavor. Use one part quinoa to 2 parts liquid, bring to a boil, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed. Fluff and it’s ready for salads and more!
• Quinoa is naturally gluten free. It is a terrific substitute for rice, grains and small pastas in salads.

More Quinoa Recipes You’ll Love

I was introduced to quinoa about the time I started this blog in 2010. In fact it was Dorie Greenspan’s recipe that I tweaked into a Quinoa, Fruit and Nut Salad featuring dried cranberries, apricots and tart cherries along with pepitas, sunflower seeds and cashews.

This Peach Quinoa Caprese adds peaches for a touch of sweetness instead of only tomatoes and this Quinoa Tabouleh is a nice change of pace from the classic Middle Eastern version.

I love this nifty Instant Pot Quinoa recipe. It makes the process even quicker! Try this Mexican Quinoa Casserole, this Quinoa Jambalaya or this Patriotic Quinoa Fruit Salad. Quinoa is such a tasty, versatile ingredient!

You May Also Like:

• Summer Panzanella
• Pesto Pasta Salad
• Marinated Vegetable Salad
• More Salad Recipes

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The Recipe:

Quinoa and Black Bean Salad Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Yield 8 servings

A healthy, delicious quinoa salad with Tex-Mex flavors

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups quinoa (cooked in salted water according to package instructions)
• 1 ½ cups black beans (15 ounce can, rinsed)
• 1 ½ tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 ½ cups frozen corn, thawed or fresh sweet corn, steamed and cut off the cob
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 2 pickled jalapeños or 1 fresh jalapeno, minced
• 1-2 avocados, cut into cubes
• 1 package grape tomatoes, sliced lengthwise
• ¼ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

Dressing:

• 5 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 ¼ teaspoons cumin
• ⅓ cup olive oil

Instructions

1. Cook quinoa using package instructions. Drain and place in large bowl to cool.½
2. Combine beans with vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Add to quinoa along with corn, peppers, avocados, tomatoes and cilantro. Gently toss.
3. Make dressing by combining lime juice, salt and cumin. Whisk in oil. Drizzle over salad. Toss to combine. Serve at room temperature.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Gourmet

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 295Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 366mgCarbohydrates: 31gFiber: 9gSugar: 3gProtein: 7g

Thatskinnychickcanbake.com occasionally offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site. This information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although thatskinnychickcanbake.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased can change the nutritional information in any given recipe. Also, many recipes on thatskinnychickcanbake.com recommend toppings, which may or may not be listed as optional and nutritional information for these added toppings is not listed. Other factors may change the nutritional information such as when the salt amount is listed “to taste,” it is not calculated into the recipe as the amount will vary. Also, different online calculators can provide different results. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information obtained is accurate.

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