Zesty Cilantro Lime Quinoa Salad Recipe
Looking for a healthy and tasty side dish that can also be an awesome easy lunch or dinner idea? This flavor filled zesty cilantro lime salad will turn anyone into a quinoa fan! I’ve been making this salad for a couple years now and it’s one of my favorite meals to keep in the fridge because all of the fresh ingredients marinate together and it tastes even better the next day!
Zesty Cilantro Lime Quinoa Salad
yield: 4 SERVINGS
Ingredients
- 1 cup Quinoa
- 2 cups water
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- Juice from 1 1/2 limes
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
- 1 1/2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
- 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 5 green onions, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 avocado, chopped
- salt and ground black pepper to taste
Directions
1
Bring quinoa and water to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until quinoa is tender and water has been absorbed, 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.
2
Whisk olive oil, lime juice, cumin, 1 teaspoon salt, and red pepper flakes together in a bowl.
3
Combine quinoa, tomatoes, black beans, and green onions together in a bowl. Pour dressing over quinoa mixture; toss to coat. Stir in cilantro and avocado; season with salt and black pepper. Serve immediately or chill in refrigerator.
Additional Notes
(adapted from Allrecipes.com)
Hi, Any ideas of good deals on quinoa? Thanks
I bought a small bag of Simply Balanced from Target yesterday. Reg price $4.99, used $1/1 Target IP (target.com) and 5% CW, final price of $3.79. Not the best price, but I needed it for a broccoli & quinoa casserole I’m making tonight. I usually buy the big bag from Abe’s Market.com. If you have Whole Foods, you can buy quinoa from the bulk bins. But I always forget to check when I go!
Thanks so much! 🙂
Costco!!!!
I’ve made this many times, and it is delish!!!!
how many does this feed?
Fed my family of 5 with leftovers for the next day;)
Any tips on keeping the avocado from turning when you make it ahead?
Lime juice keeps it from browning.
I also add feta cheese and 2 cloves of garlic to the dressing. So good, I make this all the time! I also add a bunch for cilantro. I pretty much double the dressing recipe by the time add a bit more of everything! The avocado doesn’t seem to turn too bad…. maybe the lime juice helps that?
I love this!! I like to add red onion and a little bit of red pepper for extra flavor and bulk. Super yummy!
This is almost just like one that I make, except instead of quinoa I use lentils. Yum! t’s good with a bit of mozzarella cheese if you like. Now I need to get some quinoa!
YUM!
I love adding feta and olives as well!
Sounds good. I am going to make for company we are having on Sunday – great make ahead recipe although I may wait on the avocado just to be sure it doesn’t turn. Will be perfect with grilled chicken.
Thank you for the great recipe! My kids loved it!
We had this for dinner, so delicious!
Absolutely love this. Ive never added avocado, I’ll have try it. I do add kidney beans, white cannola (?) Beans, green beans sometimes garbanzo. Plus vinagers like rice, red wine, balsamic. Great filling, fiber and packed with vitamin s.
Just made it with two bored-former-quinoa-hating-kids, for a fun summer cooking activity. They both are currently begging for more, but i told them they had to wait until dinner to eat the rest. Absolutely delicious recipe!
Looks and sounds amazing. Can’t wait to make it.
Looks Delish….will make this
Thanks
Thank you for posting this. I made it for dinner and Hubs loved it. He’s taking a bowl with his packed lunch today too and still quite a bit left. The hardest part was finding quinoa at our little Jay C grocery! The very nice stock person had no idea what I was asking for but he tried valiantly to find it. Love our little store!