Latin Inspired Quinoa Salad

Quinoa, kidney beans, red onion, serrano pepper, avocado, cotija cheese, cilantro, & lime - all delicious ingredients you'd find in Latin dishes especially Mexican ones.

This vegetarian recipe is a perfect mix of refreshing and spicy. You can make yourself this salad when you're not too hungry but need something nourishing to fill you up.

You have all of the protein & fiber you need in one bowl. It also makes for a great BBQ salad and a meal-preppable salad for school or work! So, let me show you how to make it!

Yields: 1-4 (you could serve this for multiple people or it could be a meal prepped salad for several days)

Prep time: 20 minutes

Total time: 25 minutes

This recipe is gluten free and vegetarian. It can easily be made dairy free/vegan if you opt out of the cotija cheese.

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Ingredients:

Quinoa

• 1 cup white quinoa, rinsed

• 1 ¾–2 cups boiled water

• ¼ tsp turmeric

• ½ tsp salt

• Black pepper, to taste

Salad:

• 1 15oz can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

• 1 15oz can white kidney beans, drained and rinsed

• 3 mini bell peppers (or ½ large bell pepper), finely diced

• 1 serrano pepper, finely diced

• ½ red onion, finely diced

• ½ avocado, finely chopped

• ¼ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped

• Juice of 2 limes

• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• ½ tsp salt

• Cotija cheese, for garnish

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Instructions:

1. Cook the quinoa: Thoroughly rinse the quinoa under cold water. Add the quinoa and boiled water to a small saucepan. Season with turmeric, salt, and black pepper. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to low-medium and cover with a lid. Allow the quinoa to cook for about 15 minutes, or until all of the water has absorbed. Remove from heat and let the quinoa sit covered for 5–10 minutes to fluff and slightly cool.

2. Prepare the salad: While the quinoa cooks, prepare the salad ingredients. Finely dice the bell peppers, serrano pepper, red onion, avocado, and cilantro. Add the chopped vegetables, cilantro, red kidney beans, and white kidney beans to a large mixing bowl. Once the quinoa has cooled slightly, add about ¾ of the cooked quinoa into the bowl and gently mix together.

3. Make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, and salt. Pour the dressing over the salad and mix until everything is evenly coated.

4. Serve: Garnish with cotija cheese and additional cilantro if desired. Serve immediately or refrigerate for meal prep. Enjoy!

I hope you love this recipe as much as I did, so if you do, please leave me a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I always read through my suggestions and comments, so please let me know your thoughts. If you have any questions you can feel free to DM me here or through Instagram. Speaking of Instagram - please tag me in all of your creations! I love seeing how the recipes come out and seeing how talented you all are. Sending my love.

xoxo,

Jasmin D the RD