Description
This easy vegan Mexican quinoa salad with a Southwestern-inspired dressing is full of delicious flavor and a variety of textures while offering nutritious ingredients! It is simple to prepare and uses mostly pantry ingredients you likely have on hand like dry quinoa and canned black beans. It also holds up well in the refrigerator, making it an excellent meal prep option.
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa*
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 red or orange bell pepper, stem and seeds removed, diced
- 4 green onions, diced
- 1/2 red onion, finely diced
- 1 cup packed fresh cilantro, large stems removed, leaves chopped
Dressing
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 limes, juiced
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
Instructions
- Cook the quinoa. While the quinoa cooks, prepare the dressing and other ingredients.
- Prepare the dressing. Whisk together the dressing ingredients in a measuring cup or small bowl.
- Put it all together. In a large bowl, combine the cooked quinoa with the black beans, bell pepper, onions and cilantro. Pour the dressing overtop the salad and stir well to combine.
- Serve! Enjoy immediately or store in an airtight container (or separate smaller airtight containers for lunch on-the-go). The salad will last in the refrigerator for up to five days.
Notes
*Use two cups of water if using the stovetop to cook the quinoa. Use my stovetop method for perfectly cooked quinoa, which yields about 3 cups of tightly packed cooked quinoa. The cooked quinoa measures 4 cups when fluffed with a fork and not packed tightly into the measuring cup.
*To cook in the Instant Pot, place the quinoa and 1 cup water in the pot and cook on Manual high pressure for one minute. Then, press off and allow it to naturally release for 15 minutes. Remove lid and fluff with a fork. Allow to slightly cool before adding to the salad.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 20
- Category: Side Dish or Entree
- Method: Instant Pot or Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican
