Quinoa and Vegetable Salad

A few months ago when my husband was quite ill, his diet was extremely restricted and we had a tough time finding things he could eat that weren't too plain. My friend made and brought over some quinoa salad from a recipe she found on the blog Oh She Glows. We loved it and have made it several times since then. It's perfect for summer weather!

I have adapted the recipe to fit our needs. Red quinoa is lovely but expensive. I found black quinoa quite a bit cheaper, and sometimes I'm kind of boring and just use the plain ol' regular stuff because I have a ton of it. Well, not a ton, but a 50 lb. bag! And my husband cannot do legumes, so we just leave the black beans out. I have listed them as optional here.

Quinoa and Vegetable Salad
 
 For the salad:

    1 cup uncooked red or black quinoa
    1 red pepper, chopped
    1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
    2 green onions, chopped
    1 cup fresh or frozen corn 
    1 small avocado, chopped into 1 inch pieces
    1 (14oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed (optional)

For the dressing:

    4-5 tbsp of fresh lime juice (2 small limes)
    1/2 tsp Real salt, or to taste
    1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
    1 garlic clove, minced
    1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
    1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
    1/2 tsp ground cumin, or more to taste

Directions:

1. Cook 1 cup quinoa according to package directions.

2. While quinoa is cooking, prepare the chopped vegetables and whisk together the dressing.

3. Allow quinoa to cool after cooking for about 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Add the vegetables (and beans, if using) and toss well.

4. Drizzle dressing over salad and toss well with salt and pepper to taste. Bring salad to room temperature before serving. Keep fresh in a sealed container for 1-2 days. Makes 4 - 5 cups.