Southwestern quinoa

I know, I know... I make A LOT of quinoa salads, and I add quinoa to a lot of my leafy salads as well, but it's just so tasty and versatile; it has yet to let me down so what's the problem?! Here is a yummy southwestern style quinoa salad I threw together the other day using the freshly picked corn and tomatoes we had gotten from a neighbor!

Ingredients: 

1 c rinsed uncooked quinoa

2 c. vegetable broth

2 tbsp olive oil

juice from 2 limes

2 tbsp chopped cilantro

1/2-1 tbsp of chili powder

2 cloves of minced garlic

1 chopped bell pepper (I used 1/2 green, 1/2 red)

1/4 c chopped onion

1 avocado chopped

1 can black beans drained and rinsed

2 ears of corn on the cob

handful of cherry tomatoes

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Bring 2 c. of water to boil, add quinoa bring back to boil and then cover and let simmer over medium heat for 12 minutes or until all water is absorbed. Remove from heat, fluff with fork, then recover and let sit for another 15 minutes. 

While your quinoa is cooking, cook your 2 ears of corn on the grill for about 15 minutes (or until done to your liking) rotating every 5 minutes. You can always grill it on the stove top, or boil as well, but the char from the grill adds a nice flavor. Heating a can of corn can work too but I try to limit the amount of preservative when I can so I prefer fresh (not to mention it tastes better)!

Cut the corn off the cob once cooked, then toss the corn, onion, peppers, and beans into the quinoa. 

Mix olive oil, lime juice, cilantro, chili powder, garlic, and salt & pepper then drizzle on top of quinoa and toss.

Gently fold in your avocados and garnish with cherry tomatoes (I broiled my freshly picked tomatoes for 5 mins on high because I am not the biggest raw tomato fan). 

Then indulge.

For fun facts and health benefits of eating quinoa check out my previous post here!

We also had a block party a couple weeks back where I revised my famous broccoli quinoa salad I had posted way back in May before my Vegan transition. I had to bring a dish that I could eat, seeing as most block parties consist of BBQ meat, buttery rolls, and brownies. I was really craving my broccoli salad but I had to figure out how to make it vegan without sacrificing taste. If I do boast a little of myself, I must say I succeeded! I had multiple ask me if I brought the quinoa salad and requested the recipe. A guy in line in front of my father was going back for seconds and made the comment: "I have no idea what this is, but man is it good!"...to which my father went on to tell him that his daughter made it and that it's called quinoa. So I was pretty excited to be able to introduce this super healthy super grain to another person. Anyways, I made it the same way I did in my previous post except I removed the cheese and greek yogurt and for the dressing, I increased amounts of liquids I used. So I used 1/2 c honey, 1/2 c olive oil, probably close to 4 tbsp of dijon mustard, 1 tbsp of minced garlic, and 1 tbsp of lemon juice. All the remaining ingredients stayed the same and I let it chill for an hour before the party to allow all the flavors to blend. Feel free to taste test before the party and add a little more of this or that to satisfy your taste buds! Vegan friendly, yet still DELISH!

Feedback or requests are always welcome!

Stay tuned for some peachy recipes coming later this week!

UNTIL THEN:

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