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.
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Love the grain in this Southwest Quinoa Salad? Read more about quinoa and other grains here.
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
- In a small bowl, whisk lemon juice, olive oil, cilantro, salt and pepper; set aside.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- Cholesterol Content 0 mg
- 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
- Monounsaturated Fat Content 0 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat Content 2 g