Southwest Quinoa Salad

An honorary mention in our AHA collaboration, this heart-healthy southwest quinoa salad comes from Chef Jean Hertzman, PhD, CCE, assistant professor of food and beverage management at the William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration at UNLV.
By Jean Hertzman , |

Southwest Quinoa Salad

Yvonne Duivenvoorden

Love the grain in this Southwest Quinoa Salad? Read more about quinoa and other grains here.

Duration
Cook Time
Prep Time
8 Servings

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 3 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
  • Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted, or 1 tsp ground cumin
  • High-heat cooking oil (such as sunflower, safflower, peanut or grape seed oil), as needed to lightly coat grill grate
  • 2 cobs fresh corn, husks and silk removed (or 1 1/4 cups frozen corn, thawed)
  • 1 cup cooked black beans, drained
  • 1 plum tomato, diced
  • 1 zucchini or yellow zucchini squash, diced
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

Preparation

  1. In a small bowl, whisk lemon juice, olive oil, cilantro, salt and pepper; set aside.
  2. In a saucepan, bring 2 cups water to a boil; add quinoa and cumin. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until liquid is absorbed, about 12 minutes. Remove pan from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Uncover, fluff with a fork and let cool for at least 10 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, heat an outdoor grill to medium-high and lightly oil grate with cooking oil. Add corn, close lid and grill, turning once, until tender and lightly charred, 10 to 15 minutes. (Alternatively, boil cobs in a large pot of simmering water. Cover and cook until tender, 6 to 10 minutes.) Let corn cool, then cut kernels from cob.
  4. In a large bowl, combine quinoa, corn kernels, beans, tomato, zucchini and onion. Pour lemon-cilantro dressing over top and toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate salad for at least 1 hour to allow flavors to meld, or up to 2 days.

Nutrition Information

Serving Size: 1 cup  Calories: 221  Carbohydrate Content: 26 g Fat Content: 11 g Fiber Content: 45 g Protein Content: 6 g Saturated Fat Content: 1.5 g Sodium Content: 23 mg Sugar Content: 2 g Polyunsaturated Fat Content: 2 g
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