Southwestern Quinoa Salad mixes red quinoa, fresh vegetables, black beans and corn with a light cilantro lime dressing. A great side dish to any meal or salad for lunch.
Good Morning! I hope you had a wonderful fourth of July weekend and got to spend time with family and friends.
We had a packed weekend that included a parade which was Will’s first and he just loved it. Disclaimer: my mother-in-law made Will a super hero cape and because he loved it so much he pretty much wore it all weekend. 🙂
And this is what happens when you have just a little too much fun…
We also did a lot of partying, grilling out and went to a carnival. The carnival was another first for Will and he rode his first roller coaster and loved it. When did my little boy get so big!!? It was a beautiful weekend but I must admit I am feeling a little bit sleepy. I need to catch up on my rest and eat some healthy foods to get back on track.
Today’s Southwestern Quinoa Salad is one of my go-to salads that I like to make during the week for lunches. I make a big container so I have leftovers and add things like avocado or grilled chicken for a healthy, full meal. For this salad I used red quinoa which I buy at Trader Joes but feel free to use whatever quinoa you have on hand.
If you are looking for other salads using quinoa check out my Tomato Cucumber Feta Quinoa Salad, Greek Quinoa Salad or my Zucchini Chickpea Quinoa Salad. I have been on a grain kick lately and these are all really great options!
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Enjoy!
Julia
This looks so fantastic. I love all the colors!
Julia: keep these summer salads coming….I made the one with garbanzos and quinoa on Monday and its almost gone. so yummy. i’ll try this one but i need to buy a lime and cilantro today.
You will really like this one! I love the idea of the garbanzos!
I love having salads like this on hand for weekday lunches!
Your kids are darling!! Happy to hear your 4th of July was fun! This Southwestern Quinoa Salad looks absolutely amazing. I can’t wait to make it!
Thanks Jen! That is nice of you! Hope you get to try this dish!
Most quinoa dishes lack color, texture and just overall appeal…not this one! YUM!!
I agree! I have to add a lot of vegetables, beans and a good dressing in order to give it good flavor! This dish did just that. Thanks Nicole!
This is a delicious looking salad. I love the Southwestern spin on it.
Thanks Christie! 🙂
that cape is so darn cute! I haven’t tried quinoa yet, but I think this would be a great first dish!
Oh you have to try it. I think quinoa is bland on its own so I always add it to salads or mix it with things in a side dish like nuts, raisins, ect! 🙂
This is exactly what I want to eat for lunch everyday! Love this!
And me too! 🙂
I LOVE quinoa, but I have never tried red quinoa! All the flavours here are perfect and I can’t wait to try it! Yum! Pinned 🙂
Thanks Taylor! It adds great color–hope you get to try it!
Delicious! Loving the colors in this recipe!
Thanks Jess! The red quinoa adds great color!