Southwest Quinoa Salad {Gluten-Free}

A healthy Southwest salad bursting with flavors from the tri-colored quinoa, avocados, black beans, corn, grape tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and a cilantro honey lime dressing. 

Disclosure: Mama Knows Gluten Free received the products mentioned above for free. Regardless, we only recommend products or services we use personally and believe will be good for our readers. 

We lived in Santa Fe, New Mexico for almost two years. It’s a beautiful city with cultural influences from the Native Americans and the Spanish. One thing that Santa Fe is known for is it’s Southwest cuisine. When creating this salad I tried to combine Southwestern ingredients in a fresh and new way.

I have a love affair with avocados and cilantro. I knew that the combination of black beans, corn and tomatoes would complement the avocados. The addition of the mozzarella cheese alludes to the flavor of Queso Fresco (a very popular Mexican cheese) that is often sprinkled on top of dishes you find in the Southwest.

I knew I wanted to create a cilantro lime honey dressing to bring all the flavors of the salad together.  For the base of the salad, I used I Heart Keenwah‘s tricolor toasted quinoa. Not only does it have a toasted, nutty flavor, but the tricolor quinoa brings a beauty to the dish.

This healthy salad is perfect to make ahead for easy lunches or as a side dish for dinner.  I find that this salad even tastes better the next day because it allows the flavors to blend better. This quinoa salad is super easy to make and keeps well for days. I know you are going to love the Southwestern flavor combinations in this beautiful salad.

If you love quinoa, try my recipe for gluten-free  Quinoa Cakes made with fresh spinach, artichokes, mozzarella cheese, and sun-dried tomatoes.

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Southwest Quinoa Salad {Gluten-Free}

A healthy southwest salad bursting with flavors from the tri-colored quinoa,  avocados, black beans, corn, grape tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and a cilantro honey lime dressing.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword Southwestern Quinoa Salad

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 8 people

Calories 274 kcal

Author Audrey from Mama Knows Gluten Free

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa I like I Heart Keenwah tri-colored
• 1 avocado ripe, but firm and diced
• 1 cup of canned black beans rinsed
• 1 cup of canned corn
• 1 cup grape tomatoes quartered
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese I used cheese sticks
• 1 bunch of cilantro 1/2 cup chopped
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of lime juice
• 1 tablespoon of honey
• 1 tablespoon of cumin

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Salad Dressing:

1. Chop the bunch of cilantro. I removed all stems and used my small food chopper.
2. In a small bowl add the olive oil, honey, lime juice, cumin, and salt. Stir to fully combine.
3. Add chopped cilantro to the salad dressing and stir.

Salad:

1. Cook 1 cup of quinoa according to the package directions. Allow to cool.
2. Dice the avocado and quarter the grape tomatoes.
3. Drain the can of corn and the can of black beans. Rinse the black beans.
4. Slice mozzarella cheese.
5. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
6. Pour the cilantro honey lime dressing over the salad and stir to fully coat the salad.
7. You can serve immediately or refrigerate for later.
8. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

Mama says, "Check all of your labels!"

Disclosure: Mama Knows Gluten Free received the products mentioned above for free. Regardless, we only recommend products or services we use personally and believe will be good for our readers. 

Did you make a recipe? Tag @mamaknowsglutenfree on Instagram, Facebook  or @mamaknowsgf on Twitter! I would love to see what you created!

Nutrition Facts

Southwest Quinoa Salad {Gluten-Free}

Amount Per Serving (1 serving)

Calories 274 Calories from Fat 135

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 15g 23%

Saturated Fat 3g 15%

Cholesterol 11mg 4%

Sodium 175mg 7%

Potassium 417mg 12%

Total Carbohydrates 27g 9%

Dietary Fiber 5g 20%

Sugars 3g

Protein 8g 16%

Vitamin A 7.3%

Vitamin C 8.8%

Calcium 10%

Iron 12.5%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.