Gluten free cooks need lots of high fibre recipes like this healthy Southwestern Quinoa Salad. Quinoa is technically a seed but is classified as a whole grain and often referred to as a super food. If you don't have any favourite quinoa recipes on your meal rotation, add this one.
I fill a jar or two with this salad as soon as I make it for weekday lunches. Then I serve the rest along side Grilled Flank Steak or Chicken with Adobo Paste for a warm weather dinner worth repeating. It's also a winner at potluck events.
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Ingredients
Frozen corn and a well stocked pantry, with canned beans and quinoa, make this an easy choice when I'm thinking what to make. Cilantro is the only thing I must have fresh for this salad.
- olive oil
- lime juice
- apple cider vinegar
- cumin
- jalapeño or chipotle chiles - click for more on Chipotle Chilies vs Chipotle Powder
- cooked quinoa
- corn - frozen, fresh or even leftover grilled corn
- red bell pepper
- canned black beans
- cilantro
See recipe card for exact amounts.
Gluten Free Grains
In major grocery stores where I live I can buy certified gluten free quinoa, grown in Canada. Many grains are grown in fields then harvested, transported and processed on shared equipment. That's why they're in the 'high risk' category for cross contact and the recommendation from Celiac Canada is to eat certified gluten free whenever you can.
Cooking Instructions
Quinoa is available in red, black, white or golden colours and all varieties cook the same. Package directions for cooking quinoa vary but there are two common methods. Steam it the way you cook rice, or boil it the way you cook pasta. Figure out what works for you and stick with it.
How To Cook Quinoa Like Rice
- Add water (1 part quinoa, 2 parts water).
- Bring to a boil, cover and simmer 12-15 minutes. There should be no water left.
Recipes for quinoa salads sometimes have a shorter cooking time and a 5 minute rest. I can't tell the difference so I don't bother with this adjustment.
How To Cook Quinoa Like Pasta
- Add lots of water and bring to a boil with the lid on. Uncover and add quinoa. Stir, decrease heat and simmer 12-15 minutes.
- Drain and use accordingly.
Most packaged quinoa has already undergone a process to remove the coating making the rinsing step unnecessary.
Substitutions
I suggest you try any recipe the way it's written the first time, then substitute with what you have on hand and your own personal preferences. That's how you make your own winning recipes.
This classic combination of beans, peppers, corn and cilantro is what I fell in love with when I discovered food from the American Southwest. It is magical and shows up in different ways in salads, quesadillas, pasta dishes, pizza toppings and more.
Variations
Some recipes I vary the ingredients but some, like this one, I vary the way I serve it so it never gets boring.
- Serve slices of leftover Marinated Flank Steak or Grilled Achiote Chicken over this quinoa salad for an easy summer meal.
- Toss the last 1 or 2 cups of this salad in a big bowl of greens. Add any vinaigrette dressing you have in the fridge, if needed, and you've got a great start to dinner.
- Top your quinoa salad with sliced avocado and a generous squeeze of Chipotle Mayo for an amazing lunch.
- Serve this Southwestern Quinoa Salad as a room temp side dish with almost any grilled meat or chicken.
Storage
Cold salads like this last 5-7 days in the fridge. Packing the salad straight into containers the size you'll use decreases the risk of cross contact with other foods. This is what leads to unappealing food no one wants to eat and eventually mold.
Top Tip for the Pantry
Fresh jalapeño chiles - Freeze fresh jalapeño peppers whole, or halved and seeded. Either way you can slice or grate them from frozen directly into many dishes.
Pickled, sliced jalapeños are sold in jars or small tins. These keep forever and when you don't want the pickled taste, just rinse and pat dry before using. If you bought them in a tin simply transfer to a Mason jar with tight fitting lid and they'll keep in the fridge for months.
Cilantro and other fresh herbs - My best tip for dealing with fresh herbs is to plant them in the garden. It's not a year round solution but for many months I can run outside and snip enough for a single recipe.
Healthy Southwestern Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
DRESSING
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- ⅓ cup lime juice
- 4 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 2½ teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon minced jalapeño (or 1 teaspoon chipotle chile puree)
SALAD
- 3 cups cooked quinoa (1 cup uncooked quinoa)
- 1¼ cups frozen corn kernels , thawed
- 1 cup diced red bell pepper
- 1 can black beans , drained and rinsed (19oz / 540ml)
- ⅓ cup chopped cilantro
- salt to taste
Instructions
MAKE DRESSING
- In a small bowl whisk together the oil, lime juice, apple cider vinegar, cumin and jalapeño or pureed chipotle chiles.
MAKE SALAD
- In a large bowl, combine corn, red pepper, black beans and cilantro. Season to taste with salt.
- Pour dressing over salad and mix to combine. Taste again and salt if needed.
- Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate in a sealed container. Keeps up to 5 days.
Notes
Nutrition
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Cinde Little
I love this with chipotle mayo squeezed on top!