Southwestern Quinoa Salad
This southwestern quinoa salad is the perfect make-ahead lunch with fluffy quinoa, crunchy red bell pepper, corn, black beans, and chicken!
Servings: 3 servings
Ingredients
For the Quinoa:
- 2/3 cup quinoa
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt
For the Salad:
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 2 cups diced chicken - either from a rotisserie chicken or 1 pound of cooked boneless, skinless chicken breast
- 1/2 cup corn kernels
- 1/2 cup black beans rinsed
- 1/2 cup cilantro roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup green onions thinly sliced
- 1 avocado diced into 1-inch cubes
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Soak the quinoa for 2 minutes, then rinse it thoroughly and add to a pot with the water, salt, and olive oil.
- Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and cook for 15 minutes, then remove from heat.
- Toss the quinoa, chicken, bell pepper, corn, black beans, cilantro, green onions, lime juice, olive oil salt, and pepper together in a large bowl, then portion into 3 containers.
- Once you are ready to eat, dice up 1/3 of an avocado, then mix it into the salad and enjoy!
Notes
- If you're going to eat the salad immediately, go ahead and stir in the avocado. If you are prepping it for later, don't add the avocado until it is time to eat.
Nutrition
Calories: 568kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 79mg | Sodium: 724mg | Potassium: 1055mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1650IU | Vitamin C: 65mg | Calcium: 66mg | Iron: 4mg