Avocado Quinoa Salad

A quick & easy, nutrient-packed, oil-free salad. Simply toss together veggies, quinoa, avocado, spices, black beans, and enjoy as a meal or side. If you so desire, there are plenty of substitutions that can be made to make this salad your own. The broccoli, corn, tomatoes and onions can be swapped out for any of your favorite veggies. Cauliflower, carrots, cabbage.. whatever you’ve got in stock – get crazy! Any and all beans could be used in place of black beans – white beans, chickpeas, pinto beans. However, steer clear of beans that are mushy, as your final product won’t be quite as pretty (though still yummy).

Avocado Quinoa Salad [Vegan]

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup quinoa rinsed
• 4 cups leafy greens, chopped kale, spinach, chard
• 1 cup broccoli chopped
• 1 cup frozen corn thawed
• 1/4 red onion finely diced
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes quartered
• 2 large avocados, ripe (or 3 small) cubed
• 1 lime, juiced or 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• dash cayenne pepper optional
• 1 can black beans rinsed and drained

Preparation

1. Add quinoa and 1 cup of water to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 15 minutes.
2. Place all remaining ingredients, except black beans, into a large salad bowl. Stir well with a wooden spoon, being sure to mash up any large chunks of avocado.
3. Once quinoa is cooked and no liquid remains, remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes. Add quinoa to salad and mix to combine.
4. Add black beans and stir until distributed. This will keep the black beans from getting mashed while mashing avocado.
5. Refrigerate at least 1 hour prior to serving.

Notes

Salad can be enjoyed right away, but we recommend refrigerating for an hour to allow quinoa to cool and flavors to meld together. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If you don't have quinoa on hand or you have some leftover grains already prepped, any cooked whole grain will work. Simply use 1 cup of cooked grain.

https://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-recipe/avocado-quinoa-salad-vegan/