Southwestern Quinoa Salad

 

Made this for dinner tonight. Cooked the quinoa in broth for extra flavor. It was delicious, everyone loved it (kids ate it deconstructed). Served with grilled chicken sausage and it was perfect!

Ingredients

•     1 cup thawed frozen corn
•     1 teaspoon chili powder
•     1/4– 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
•     pinch of cumin
•     ground black pepper, to taste
•     1/2 sea salt + more to taste
•     1/4 cup minced red onion
•     1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
•     1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed and drained
•     1 large sweet potato, chopped into bite size chunks
•     1 red or orange bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
•     1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
•     1 avocado, chopped
•     1/4 cup + 1/2 Tablespoon olive oil
•     juice of 1 lime

Instructions

1.     Meanwhile, cook the quinoa according to package instructions. Allow quinoa to cool.
2.     Toss sweet potato chunks with 1/2 Tablespoon of olive oil, season to taste with salt and pepper, and arrange evenly on a baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven until the sweet potatoes are tender, about 25-30 minutes. Allow sweet potato chunks to cool.
3.     Preheat oven to 400°F.
4.     In a large mixing bowl combine quinoa, roasted sweet potatoes, corn, bell pepper, black beans, shallot, cilantro and avocado. Add 1/4 cup olive oil, lime juice, chili powder, cayenne, cumin, black pepper and sea salt. Gently toss the salad to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. Serve salad right away or chill in the fridge a few hours before serving. Add a sprinkle of queso fresco or feta cheese when serving, if desired.