Mexican Quinoa Salad

Mexican Quinoa Salad is a delicious healthy salad recipe made using quinoa, black beans (or kidney beans), onion, tomatoes, sweet corn, jalapeños, lemon juice & cilantro etc. It is a flavour packed, easy salad recipe which is also vegan, gluten free.

This Mexican Quinoa salad is :

• Vegan
• Gluten Free
• Easy to make
• Protein Packed

Generally people consider salads as an accompaniment to the main meal but this quinoa salad is so nutritious, tasty and filling that it makes for a complete meal in itself.

What is Quinoa?

Quinoa is gluten free pseudo-cereal & a good source of fibre, protein, antioxidants and minerals like folate, magnesium and iron etc. It is often referred as superfood also as it contains all 9 essential amino acids. I find quinoa to be a great substitute for rice with curries or lentils like dal palak or dal fry.

Quinoa Salad Ingredients:

The combination of high protein beans and quinoa with buttery avocados, crunchy onions, sweet corn kernels, zesty lemons and heat from jalapeños makes this salad absolutely flavourful and appetising. Some mint is also added in the dressing which adds to its overall freshness.

Avocados are rich source of healthy mono-unsaturated fatty acids and give creaminess to the salad. Black pepper, jalapeños add heat and compliment the citrusy notes. Feel free to add some guacamole or roasted tomato salsa to this salad for more flavour.

The substitutions in this healthy quinoa salad recipe are mentioned after the ingredients list. Feel free to adjust the salt, pepper or spiciness in this salad as per your preference.

More quinoa recipes :

• Quinoa Appe
• Quinoa Dosa (Crepes)
• Vegetable Quinoa Patty

Ingredients :

• Quinoa (uncooked)-1 cup
• Water- 2 cups (for cooking)
• Salt- 1 tsp
• Boiled Black Beans (or red kidney beans)- 3/4 cup
• Onion (chopped)- 1
• Tomatoes (chopped)- 2
• Cilantro (chopped)- 1/2 cup
• Sweet Corn (boiled)- 1/2 cup
• Avocado (chopped)- 1
• Jalapeños- 1 to 2 (to taste)
• For dressing:
  • Lemon Juice- 2 tbsp
  • Salt- 1/2 tsp (to taste)
  • Crushed Black Pepper- 1/2 tsp
  • Honey / Maple Syrup- 1 tsp
  • Olive Oil- 1 tsp
  • Mint Leaves or Cilantro (chopped)- 2 tbsp

Substitutions:

1. To make this salad vegan, use maple syrup instead of honey. You can even skip it.
2. If you don’t want to use jalapeños, you can use coloured bell peppers instead.
3. Instead of black pepper, some paprika powder can also be used.
4. You can even use some cherry tomatoes instead of regular tomatoes.

Directions:

Step 1:
Wash the quinoa thoroughly 2-3 times to get rid of all dust. In a pan, bring water to boil, add quinoa and salt to it. Cover it for 15-18 minutes till the quinoa is cooked properly.

Step 2:
Once the quinoa is cooked, fluff it up with a fork and let it cool completely. (You can boil quinoa in instant pot too. By the time it is cooling, let us move to next step.)

Step 3:
You can use both fresh or frozen corn kernels. I have used frozen corns here & steamed them for 5-7 minutes before using in salad. (Tip: You can cook them with quinoa also. While quinoa is boiling, add sweet corn to the same pot in last 5-6 minutes of cooking.)

Step 4:
If you are using canned black beans / kidney beans, drain and rinse them. I have used uncooked red kidney beans here which were first soaked overnight and then pressure cooked for 25-30 minutes (you can check out details in rajma masala recipe). Drain by transferring them on a colander.

Step 5:
Mix all the ingredients of salad dressing and give a good mix. Keep this dressing aside.

Step 6:
Deseed the tomatoes and chop them along with rest of the vegetables (except sweet corn). Transfer these chopped veggies, sweet corn, black beans / kidney beans, boiled quinoa to a mixing bowl. Pour salad dressing over it & mix well. Taste and adjust seasoning as per your taste.

You can even enjoy this delicious Mexican Quinoa salad with some guacamole or salsa!!

More vegetarian or vegan salads that you might like:

• Moong Sprouts Salad
• Indian Chickpea Salad
• Macaroni salad (no mayo)
• Grilled Corn Avocado Salad
• Roasted Beetroot Feta Salad
  

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Kitchen Products Used :

• Steamer Basket – https://amzn.to/3d8HC4m
• Quinoa – https://amzn.to/3xRVbgK
• Jalapeños – https://amzn.to/3vZYgKk

If you try this easy Mexican quinoa salad recipe & share pics on social media, then don’t forget to tag on Facebook, Instagram or use #kuchpakrahahai.

(4 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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