Healthy Quinoa Recipes: Healthy Quinoa and Veggie Salad
Healthy quinoa recipes are a favorite! Packed with protein and so versatile, quinoa adds goodness to any dish. Today, I’m sharing top recipes, plus a new one—Quinoa and Veggie Salad with a honey-lime dressing, loaded with healthy ingredients!
Servings: 6 servings
Cost: $8.23
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup white quinoa thoroughly rinsed
- 3 ounces (4 cups) baby spinach coarsely chopped, lightly packed
- 1 (15.25-ounce) can corn drained, or 1-1/2 cups frozen corn (thawed)
- 1 (15.25-ounce) can black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 5 to 6 green onions chopped, 3/4 cup
- 1/4 cup cilantro finely chopped
- Salt and pepper
- 1 large ripe avocado optional
Dressing
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard
- 2 teaspoons honey use another sweetener for vegan
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 large limes
Instructions
- Prepare quinoa by rinsing it under cold water in a fine-mesh sieve to remove the bitter saponin coating. Combine quinoa and 2 cups water in a small pot over high heat. Bring to a boil, add 1 teaspoon salt, reduce heat to low, and cover the pot. Simmer 10–15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat, keep quinoa covered, and let stand 10–15 minutes. Fluff with a fork and place in the fridge or freezer to cool to room temperature. Quinoa can be prepared 3–4 days in advance.
- Add all dressing ingredients to a jar, including 1/2 teaspoon lime zest and 4 tablespoons lime juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper, I add 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt (use less if using table salt) and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; add to preference. Seal jar and shake vigorously to combine. Store in the fridge until ready to use. If making the dressing in advance, don’t be concerned if it separates or forms clumps—this is just the olive oil solidifying, which it does at cold temps. Remove from fridge 20–30 minutes before you need it; then shake it to remix.
- Lay the spinach out on a cutting board and run a knife through a few times to get a coarse chop. Drain corn or thaw frozen corn. Drain and rinse black beans. Halve cherry tomatoes. Chop the green onions and cilantro. Dice avocado if using.
- In a large bowl, toss together quinoa and spinach. Top with corn, black beans, cherry tomatoes, green onions, cilantro, and avocado. This salad doesn’t sit well with the dressing and avocado mixed in. Toss and add dressing to only what you’ll be eating at this time. Taste and adjust seasonings. Toss and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition Note: Nutritional information does not include the optional avocado.
Storage: If you keep the dressing separate, you can store this salad in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 420kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Sodium: 28mg | Potassium: 905mg | Fiber: 13g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 2547IU | Vitamin C: 28mg | Calcium: 80mg | Iron: 5mg