We had lunch in a local brewery on Sunday, and I skipped my usual veggie burger and ordered their Black Bean & Quinoa Salad instead. Wow- it was amazing. I came home and started looking at recipes online for this salad- of which there are dozens- and I combined a few and came up with this version. It’s perfect for the upcoming summer season, and it’s a great salad to pack for work or school lunches.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Black Bean and Quinoa Salad
 

Ingredients
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 cups cooked quinoa (red or white)
  • 1 can drained and rinsed black beans
  • 1½ cups cooked corn, frozen or fresh
  • 1 10-oz can Rotel tomatoes, drained
  • 2 bunches green onions, chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 jalapeño, diced, or jarred jalapeño nacho slices (based on your “heat” preference)
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp cumin
  • juice of 1 lime
  • salt to taste
  • 1 avocado, sliced, for topping

Instructions
  1. In a large skillet, saute the garlic, jalapeño (if using fresh) and green onions in 2 tbsp olive oil for a few minutes. Add everything else to the pan and stir and heat for a few minutes to combine the flavors. Top with avocado slices. You can serve it immediately, or it keeps well in the fridge for a couple of days.

Notes
To cook the quinoa, first rinse it very well. Then put 1 cup quinoa and two cups water in a pot and bring to a boil. (It doubles in size when cooked.) Cover, reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes. You can tell when the quinoa is fully cooked because it goes a bit transparent, and sprouts a small “tail”. Drain any excess water left in the pan.