Southwest Quinoa Salad by DK on May 16, 2013
When I mention the word "Quinoa", I would assume that at least 99% of you would think "Salad". Given how popular a "salad quinoa" relationship is, I unfortunately had no takers in my house (except me). The word Salad is a mnemonic to bland and/or cold and/or something that's quite meager in the protein department in my Vegetarian household. Very few salads make through to the main table that doesn't leave my husband nutritionally wanting yet speaks to his quirk of it being "not cold".
I have tried 26 (yes, I kept count) Quinoa Salad recipes in the last 5 yrs. Only 3 of them came through and oh boy, were those hits! Its a beautiful sight for the mother in me to watch her toddler eat a Quinoa Salad with full gusto. This salad has Southwestern flavors and ingredients adding both volume, nutrition and color to this salad. This is one of those dishes that provides you equal (if not more) value for every calorie you consume. Its sad how we haggle and optimize everything in our life when it comes to money and materials but fail to do so with what we eat. Let this salad help to change your perspective. Rest assured, it most probably will :)
- Cook time:
- Prep time:
- Serves: 8+ people
- Yields: Makes around 8 cups
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup dry Black Beans, see Tips
- 1/4 tsp Epazote, optional, see Tips
- 1 cup Quinoa
- 1 Bay Leaf, optional
- 1 Garlic
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds, see Tips
- 1/4 cup finely chopped red Onion
- 1 med-large Tomato,chopped
- 3/4 cup frozen Corn, see Tips
- 1/4 cup Green Bell Pepper, see Tips
- 1/3 cup fresh Lemon juice
- 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 tbsp Flax Seed Oil, see Tips
- 1/4 cup Pepitas/Raw Pumpkin Seeds
- Few sprigs of Cilantro, chopped
- Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
Tips
1. Black Beans: You can instead substitute cooked 1 cup Black beans or canned beans (rinse it well). Try to opt for Organic BPA free beans, if possible.
2. Epazote: I use this Mexican herb for its medicinal property of relieving abdominal discomfort (a.k.a gas) that comes from eating beans. You can substitute it with a Bay leaf instead.
3. Cumin Seeds: You can instead use 1 tsp of cumin powder. In this recipe I use it to flavor the Quinoa cooking water. If you don't want to do this, you can instead just toast the cumin seeds and top the salad with it. Same goes for Garlic.
4. Corn: You can instead use corn on the cob, grill it and once charred remove the corn kernels and use it in the salad too.
5. Bell Pepper: You can use any other color.
6. Flax Seed Oil: I add it for the nutrition it provides. But if you are pregnant, breast feeding or have any blood related disorders, I would suggest talking to your practitioner before using it. In this recipe, just substitute it with additional Olive oil.
2. Epazote: I use this Mexican herb for its medicinal property of relieving abdominal discomfort (a.k.a gas) that comes from eating beans. You can substitute it with a Bay leaf instead.
3. Cumin Seeds: You can instead use 1 tsp of cumin powder. In this recipe I use it to flavor the Quinoa cooking water. If you don't want to do this, you can instead just toast the cumin seeds and top the salad with it. Same goes for Garlic.
4. Corn: You can instead use corn on the cob, grill it and once charred remove the corn kernels and use it in the salad too.
5. Bell Pepper: You can use any other color.
6. Flax Seed Oil: I add it for the nutrition it provides. But if you are pregnant, breast feeding or have any blood related disorders, I would suggest talking to your practitioner before using it. In this recipe, just substitute it with additional Olive oil.
Method
1.
Soak the black beans the previous day in some water. I add few drops of Apple cider Vinegar to this water. I do this to remove the phytic acid present naturally in beans. This is optional - but it helps to reduce the gassiness considerably and is better for you generally.
2.
Rinse the beans, the next day
3.
and cook it with enough water to cover it. Add the Epazote, if using. Please refer my Tip 1, if you don't want to use the herb and/or if you want to skip this process of cooking the beans.
4.
I pressure cook it for 8-10 min (abt 3 whistles) or until the beans are soft (but retain shape). Set aside. You can use this water for other cooking purposes.
5.
Rinse and drain the Quinoa.
6.
Heat a saucepan. Add 2 cups water along with Garlic, Cumin Seeds and Bay leaf. I add them here to flavor Quinoa but you can skip it, if you wish. See Tip 3.
7.
Bring it to a boil and then add the Quinoa. Cover the pan, reduce heat to Low-Medium and simmer for about 8 min
8.
or until when most of the water has been absorbed.
9.
Now add the frozen corn. I do this 'cos I hate the taste of just thawed out frozen corn. If you are OK with it, simply add thawed corn along with the veggies. Or else you can stir fry or use grilled corn. See Tip 4
10.
Let it continue cooking for another 5 minutes or until the water is completely absorbed. Remove from heat and let it sit for another 5 min. Uncover, fluff with a fork and cool for 5-10 minutes.
11.
While that's cooling, prep the veggies (onion, tomato, bell pepper) and add them together along with black beans
12.
In another bowl, whisk together Extra Virgin Olive oil, Lemon juice and Flax seed oil if using, along with sea salt and pepper. Please refer Tip 6 before adding flax seed oil. Set aside.
13.
Remove the bay leaf from Quinoa (and Garlic if you don't like mushy garlic) and add it to the vegetables. You can use another large bowl to do this. I am lazy and hence use the same pan :)
14.
Drizzle the dressing to the quinoa-bean mixture.
15.
Toss gently to coat. Taste and season accordingly. At this point, cover and refrigerate for about 1 hour (at least) for the flavors to mingle well.
16.
Before serving, dry roast the raw pumpkin seeds
17.
and add it to the salad along with cilantro. Toss and serve
Extremely filling and makes generous portions. For once you can eat to your heart's content knowing that every bit of that calorie provides value to your body :)
Filed Under these categories
- 226 American
- 291 Dairy Free
- 447 Gluten Free
- 705 Kid Friendly
- 384 Nuts Free
- 163 One Dish Dinners
- 371 Parties
- 227 Picnic
- 192 Potluck
- 398 Pregnancy
- 224 Protein Rich
- 17 Salads
- 177 Sugar Free
- 499 Vegan Recipes
- 113 Wholegrain
- 15 Wholegrain
Related Articles
Recipe Reference
my kitchen notes
Related Posts
Moist Quinoa Chocolate Cake By DK on Dec 23, 2012
Four Bean Salad By DK on Oct 23, 2012
Wholegrain Quinoa Bread By DK on Apr 19, 2010
Strawberry Banana Quinoa Muffins (Eggless) By DK on Nov 11, 2011
Chipotle Style Roasted Chili Corn Salsa Recipe By DK on Aug 28, 2016
Instant Pot Black Beans { No Soak | Presoaked Options } By DK on Sep 2, 2020
Leave a Reply
I love to hear from you! I read each and every comment, and will get
back as soon as I am able to.
15 Comments
By Rita on Mar 5, 2014
As I live in maharashtra ....not aware about quinoa...
pl can u tell me what it is known as in marathi/hindi??
By Sunitha on Jan 21, 2014
Hi DK! Thank you for your website! I love your recipes and step by step photos.
Can you please tell me where I will find epazote ?
Thank you
Its hard to answer this question without knowing where you are from. As for as Pacific Northwest of US is concerned, its available in all Health based stores like Whole Foods, Sprouts Market in the spices aisle. --DK
By Akshara on Dec 13, 2013
Hi DK,
Thank you for the healthy recipe.
Do you suggest to use Apple cider Vinegar in while soaking any Beans before pressure cooking
By Southwest Quinoa Salad - The best veggie recipes from around the net. - Veggie-Recipes.net on Sep 9, 2013
[...] By DK [...]
By SI on Jul 30, 2013
Hi DK
This recipe was a big hit in our house. I added red pepper flakes to increase spice level. Next time I will add sliced avacados and this recipe will be a regular in our house. Thanks!
By Padmini on Jul 1, 2013
Quinoa is very versatile. Use it instead of rice and get imaginative and there innumerable varieties that you can come up with. Your salad came out very well thank you.
By shelley on Jun 19, 2013
We love quinoa so I will certainly be trying this. Your photos and instructions are really impressive.Thank you so much.
By tanya1234 on Jun 6, 2013
thank u
By edwina stowers on May 23, 2013
and your instructions are fantastic and the pic are great too
By edwina stowers on May 23, 2013
:-o :mrgreen: great recipe.......will be trying it in New Zealand and in Samoa too!!!! Fa'afetai tele lave! (thank you very much)
By Charul @ Tadka Masala on May 22, 2013
I am yet to try quinoa, but i can totally imagine this with broken wheat. Gonna try this salad with both broken wheat and quinoa. :)
By kiran singh on May 17, 2013
so yummy :-P
By Kathleen on May 16, 2013
Beautiful! Can't wait to make it. And thank you so much for all the tips. They are useful, helpful and very appreciated!
By Tamara on May 16, 2013
What a beautiful salad! It is very similar to one I make for my sack-lunch for work, but I never put the pumpkin seeds or flax seed oil in. Great idea!!
I wanted to add, for those who don't know, flax seed oil goes rancid very quickly, so is best eatten as soon as possible. Refrigeration is essential. Also, rinsing quinoa is a must, as the hulls contain strichnine. I 'scrub' the seeds between my palms. Perhaps some seed sources pre-wash; I don't know.
By savi on Sep 30, 2014