Southwest Quinoa Salad

Today's recipe is brought to you by Spoon With Me and can be found in it's original form at http://spoonwithme.com/2010/07/17/southwest-quinoa-salad-with-chile-lime-vinaigrette/ All pictures have been taken from there.

This is one of my favorite quinoa salads. It's light and airy, yet very filling. It's perfect for those warm summer nights (which in my region lasts from March to November) because the only heat that is required is to cook the quinoa. On top of all of that, it's so colorful that you literally get to taste the rainbow.

I like a fair amount of spice in my food, so that's where most of my adjustments come in. Don't worry, I won't set your mouths on fire, but I will kick the flavor up a notch. Don't let the amount of peppers scare you off. If you are a bit leery about the habaneros, add as you go. Be sure to cut them up small for even heat distribution, and please use some sort of protection on those hands. I don't want to have to detail the Jalapeno in Eye Fiasco of 2011.

Shopping List by Department:


Produce

• 1-2 avocados depending on size
• 1-2 fresh corn on the cob (or exchange for frozen corn)
• 1 jalapeno pepper
• 2 habanero peppers
• 2 mildly spiced peppers (I usually use 1 poblano and 1 anaheim) 
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 red onion
• 1 bunch of cilantro
• 3-4 limes
• garlic

Dry Foods (Canned/Boxed)

• quinoa (I prefer tri-colored, but any color will work)
• 14.5 oz can of black beans
• grapeseed or canola oil
• apple cider vinegar (white vinegar will work)
• vegetable broth

Spices

• ground cayenne pepper
• ground cumin

Recipe

Salad Ingredients:
1 cup (uncooked) quinoa, cooked and cooled
1 or 2 avocados, peeled, pit removed, diced
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
kernels from 1 cob corn, or 1 cup thawed frozen corn
2 diced mildly spicy peppers
1 jalapeno
2 small habaneros, minced (or less to taste)
2 tomatoes, diced
1 small red onion, diced
1 bunch cilantro, chopped


Chile Lime Vinaigrette:
1/3 cup grapeseed oil or canola oil
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
the zest of 1 limes
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 tsp ground cayenne
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt (add to taste)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar


For the Quinoa:
Click on this link to view my post on making quinoa without overcooking it.

For the Vinaigrette:

Place all vinaigrette ingredients in a jar and shake until combined, or whisk in a small bowl.

For the Salad:
Put all of the salad ingredients into a large bowl. Drizzle with the vinaigrette, and gently toss to combine.


To refresh the leftovers, just squeeze a bit of lime juice and add some salt, and you're ready to go!