As we approach the end of the season, summer producer will soon become in short supply. One of my favorites is fresh corn. I tend to only buy it in the summertime when it’s the sweetest.
You can easily customize this southwestern quinoa recipe and swap out the ingredients with your favorite vegetables. Every summer, I end up going to several cookouts and this is one of my go to recipes. It is the perfect side dish that travels well and is always a hit.
The southwestern take makes the quinoa salad very flavorful and almost has a burrito bowl feel to it. The recipe uses quinoa, corn off the cob or frozen, cherry tomatoes, black beans, bell peppers and avocado.
The southwestern quinoa salad isn’t complete without the dressing. I typically like to create my own dressing for salads but this is the exception. For this salad I use Stonewall Kitchen Cilantro Lime Dressing (not sponsored), which I absolutely love; but feel free to use whichever dressing your heart desires.
Southwestern Quinoa Salad
Southwestern take on quinoa salad using sweet summer corn, quinoa, black beans, cherry tomatoes and bell peppers
- ½ cup dry tri-color quinoa
- 1 bell pepper (diced)
- 1 scallion (sliced)
- 1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes (halved)
- ½ cup frozen corn (thawed)
- 1 avocado (halved, pitted and sliced)
- ¼ cucumber (diced)
- 1 small red onion (diced)
- cilantro lime dressing or dressing of choice
Cook quinoa according to instructions on the package.
While the quinoa cooks, slice and dice the produce according to the ingredients list above.
If you are using fresh corn, boil the corn for 6 minutes and allow to cool before cutting the corn off the cob. You could also grill the corn if you prefer it roasted. For frozen corn off the cob, simply cook it according to instructions on the package.
After the quinoa cooks and cools, add all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and toss with the cilantro lime dressing or dressing of your choosing. Enjoy!
