An easy, flavorful southwestern quinoa salad with black beans, grape tomatoes, jalapeño, red onion, cotija, fire roasted corn, avocado, and lime vinaigrette. This grain salad is naturally gluten free and vegetarian, and can be prepared up to 24 hours in advance. Serve as a summer side dish or main course.
¼cupfreshly squeezed lime juice (roughly 2 limes)plus more for serving
¾teaspoonground cumin
1garlic clovegrated with a microplane or pressed
3tablespoons (45 mL)avocado oil (or other neutral oil)
½teaspoonkosher saltplus more if needed
¼teaspoonfreshly ground black pepper
½smallred onionfinely diced (about ½ cup)
For the Salad:
1heaping cup (6 ounces)grape tomatoesquartered
1(15 ounce) canblack beansrinsed and drained well
½cupfrozen fire-roasted cornthawed and drained
½jalapeño pepperseeds and ribs removed, and finely diced
⅓cupcrumbled cotija cheese
½cupfresh cilantro leavesroughly chopped
1ripe avocadopitted, peeled and diced
kosher saltas needed
Instructions
Prepare and Cook the Quinoa: Combine the water and salt in a medium saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Bring to a boil. Add the quinoa, cover, and simmer over low heat until the liquid is absorbed and the quinoa is tender, about 17 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat, fluff with a fork, cover, and allow to sit for an additional 10 minutes. Spread the cooked quinoa in a thin layer on a baking sheet (set on a cooling rack) and allow to cool completely. If prepping ahead of time, transfer the cooled quinoa to a large container and refrigerate for 2 to 3 days until ready to use.
Prepare the Vinaigrette: Combine the lime zest, lime juice, cumin, and grated garlic in a small mixing bowl. Slowly pour in the avocado oil, whisking continuously until emulsified. Add the salt, black pepper, and diced red onion to the dressing. Stir to combine. Allow the mixture to sit for 5 to 10 minutes (allowing the mixture to sit helps cut the sharpness of raw garlic and onion).
Assemble: In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooked (and cooled) quinoa, grape tomatoes, black beans, fire-roasted corn, jalapeño, and onion-vinaigrette mixture. Stir until well combined. Gently fold in the crumbled cotija cheese and cilantro. Season to taste with salt and pepper, adding more lime juice as desired. Cover and refrigerate the salad for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours in advance. *Note: While you can serve this salad immediately, it tastes best when it is allowed to sit and marinate for at least 30 minutes or longer).
Just before serving, fold in the diced avocado and a generous squeeze of fresh lime juice, as desired. Serve chilled or at room temperature. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge and kept for up to 3 to 5 days.
Video
Tips for Success:
Make This Vegan: Omit the cheese.
Authentic cotija is a Mexican hard cow cheese with a dry texture similar to aged parmesan. Cotija produced in the United States can sometimes have a softer texture.
You can find crumbled cotija (or blocks of cotija) in the dairy section of most grocery stores. Although different in flavor profile, a good and more readily available substitute would be crumbled feta cheese. You can also omit the cheese altogether.