A Tex-Mex Quinoa Salad That You Will Love

This Tex-Mex quinoa salad is loaded with delicious. It is a side dish that could be a meal. This quinoa salad includes, fresh tomatoes, red onion, corn, black beans, cotija cheese, fresh lime, and avocados. 

This is a fresh take on quinoa salad that you will be craving to have again and again.

I am such a sucker for anything Tex-Mex but maybe that is because I am from deep in the heart of Texas?

A bonus for this recipe is that it is gluten-free. Quinoa is a grain that contains zero gluten and that is just friggin awesome.

A few tips for this recipe

• I chop up the entire cilantro, stem and all. The flavor is a bit extra zingy that way. However, you can remove the cilantro leaves and roughly chop just them if you prefer.
• Consider zesting your lime before you juice it. If you want that extra lime kick, this will make your taste buds happy.
• If you don’t have or can’t find cotija cheese, feel free to substitute parmesan cheese or any other Mexican cheese that you can get your hands on.
• Consider grilling the corn and then removing it from the husk. That charred flavor will fit perfectly in this salad.

Can you make this salad ahead of time?

If you want to make the quinoa salad ahead of time follow all of the steps except cutting up the avocado and cilantro. Chop up those two ingredients right before serving and fold in to mix.

How to make Tex Mex quinoa salad?

This salad recipe looks intimidating at first because it has quite a few ingredients but it is super easy to make. The trick is to get the quinoa cooking and then prep all of the other ingredients.

1. Follow the instructions and get the quinoa cooking. (Consider using vegetable stock instead of water for added flavor. )
2. Dice the onion, tomatoes, and avocados.
3. Juice the lime. (Consider zesting it first for extra zing.)
4. Break apart the cheese into small pieces. Roughly chop the cilantro. ( Consider chopping the stem and all for extra flavor.)
5. Drain the quinoa and then add it to a large mixing bowl.
6. Add in all of the ingredients with the quinoa. Stir to combine all of the ingredients.

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Tex-Mex Quinoa Salad

Yield: 8 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

This Tex-Mex quinoa salad is loaded fresh tomatoes, red onion, corn, black beans, cotija cheese, fresh lime, and avocados.

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Ingredients

• 1 c quinoa
• 2 c water
• 1 lime
• 2 T olive oil
• 2 medium tomatoes
• ½ small purple onion
• 1 (14 oz) can of black beans
• 1 (14 oz) can of corn
• 1 bunch of fresh cilantro
• 2 avocados
• ¼ c cotija cheese
• 2 T lime juice
• ¼ t salt
• ¼ t pepper

Instructions

1. Wash and dry all of the vegetables.
2. Cook the quinoa per the instructions.
3. While the quinoa cooks, dice the avocados, tomatoes, and onion.
4. Drain the black beans and corn.
5. Break the cheese into small bite-size chunks and set aside.
6. Roughly chop the cilantro and set aside.
7. Juice the limes and add the juice to a large mixing bowl.
8. Except for the quinoa, add everything to the bowl with the lime juice and stir to combine.
9. Drain the quinoa when it is done.
10. Add the quinoa to the mixing bowl and gently fold it into the mixture.
11. Serve and enjoy!

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 204Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 4mgSodium: 137mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 7gSugar: 2gProtein: 6g

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