\nThis summer quinoa salad recipe is so easy and bursting with flavor! Cherry tomatoes, fresh corn, creamy avocado, and crunchy cucumbers all star in this healthy salad. A pop of feta cheese and lime dressing are the finishing touches. Healthy and gluten free, it\u2019s perfect as a summer side-dish or as part of your meal prep for the week. <\/p>\n
Summer Quinoa Salad Recipe
\nSummer is almost over. There\u2019s no denying this fact. I\u2019ve unpacked my sweaters\u2026 ordered new boots \u2026 and have replaced my iced coffee\u00a0with cozy, caramel-y lattes.
\nBut despite all these tell-tale signs of fall, the tables at the farmers market are still bursting with summer veggies. From bright ears of crisp corn on the cob to juicy cherry tomatoes and crunchy green onions\u2026 red onions\u2026 and fresh herbs!<\/p>\n
I left with a full basket\u2026 and the decision to celebrate summer with one more giant colorful salad! I\u2019m calling this quinoa salad my \u201cend of summer salad\u201d, but\u00a0obviously you can make it any time you can find the ingredients.<\/p>\n
Ingredients for Summer Quinoa Salad<\/p>\n
Quinoa:\u00a0Always be sure to wash your quinoa in a fine mesh strainer before you cook the quinoa. Once you\u2019ve rinsed the quinoa, you can cook it according to the package instructions. To meal prep, you can cook the quinoa up to 5 days in advance. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
\nSweet Corn:\u00a0I love using fresh corn on the cob when it\u2019s in season. It\u2019s so delightfully crunchy and sweet! But feel free to use grilled corn instead.
\nCherry Tomatoes:\u00a0Mini heirloom cherry tomatoes taste like heaven. But if you can\u2019t find them, any cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes will do.
\nPeppers:\u00a0I call for red bell pepper and jalape\u00f1o peppers. Feel free to just use one or the other if you prefer.
\nFresh Herbs:\u00a0Fresh cilantro, basil, and chives add so much flavor the salad and salad dressing! If you can\u2019t find chives, you can omit them.
\nOnion:\u00a0Red onion and scallions (green onion) add crunchy deliciousness to this salad! In a pinch, you can just use one or the other.
\nEnglish Cucumber:\u00a0Regular cucumber will work fine if you cannot find this variety. And in a pinch, this ingredient can be omitted.
\nAvocados:\u00a0Be sure to buy large and ripe avocados. I like to buy an extra one just in case one of the them doesn\u2019t end up \u201cusable\u201d. If you can\u2019t find ripe avocados, omit them from the recipe.
\nFeta Cheese:\u00a0You could easily omit the feat cheese to make this a gluten free and vegan quinoa salad recipe. Or use another variety of cheese such a goat\u2019s cheese or sharp cheddar.
\nOlive Oil:\u00a0This ingredient is the base of the lime herb salad dressing! Use something tasty, but it doesn\u2019t need to be fancy.
\nLimes:\u00a0You\u2019ll use the lime juice and zest. If you\u2019d prefer a lemon dressing, use fresh lemon juice and lemon zest instead.
\nRed Wine Vinegar:\u00a0I do not suggest subbing this with another variety of vinegar. But if you must, sherry vinegar or white wine vinegar work best.
\nHoney:\u00a0This balances the dressing by adding just a touch of sweetness. In a pinch, use sugar or agave instead.
\nGarlic:\u00a0Be sure to use fresh cloves of garlic and not garlic powder.
\nSalt and Pepper:\u00a0Season the dressing according to your own taste buds!<\/p>\n
Unlike many of my recipes, this gluten free quinoa salad is VERY adaptable! You can add ingredients like grilled chicken, shrimp, or chickpeas for protein. Or omit ingredients like cucumber, peppers, or avocados based on your taste preferences. And you can even adapt the feta cheese\u2026 leave it out for a vegan quinoa salad recipe.<\/p>\n
How to Make Quinoa Salad<\/p>\n
Cook the Quinoa:\u00a0I suggest cooking it according to package instructions. Then be sure to cool it completely to room temperature before use.\u00a0If you use hot quinoa, it\u2019ll wilt the veggies and soak up the dressing too fast.
\nPrep your Veggies:\u00a0There are a couple of cups of chopped veggies in this salad. So plan ahead time wise and make sure you have time to chop them all.
\nMake the Salad Dressing:\u00a0Use a food processor to pulse all the salad dressing ingredients until well combined. A high-powdered blender will also work for this. If it looks too thick, add a little extra olive oil and lime juice and pulse again.
\nAssemble your Salad:\u00a0In a large salad bowl, combine the cooked quinoa with the veggies and herbs. Pour the salad dressing on top and toss well. Sprinkle of the feta and top with the reserved avocado! Serve at once!<\/p>\n
Although certain parts of this recipe can be meal prepped in advance, this recipe is best served right away. It will \u201ckeep\u201d at room temperature for about 2 hours before it starts to really turn.<\/p>\n
How to Cook Quinoa for Salad
\nI cook quinoa for salad the same way I cook quinoa for any other recipe! And while I always suggest consulting your quinoas package for their instructions, here\u2019s my way:<\/p>\n
Wash the Quinoa: In a fine mesh strainer, until the water runs clear. I like to swish the quinoa around while I\u2019m washing it to ensure it all gets clean.
\nCombine the rinsed quinoa and water in a medium saucepan or pot. Place over high-heat and bring to a boil.
\nCover the pan and reduce the heat. Cook for 15 minutes. Remove the pan from heat and let the pan sit, covered, for another 10 minutes.
\nRemove the lid and fluff the cooked quinoa up with a fork. Cool, then use in any of your favorite quinoa salad recipes!
\nTo store, cool the quinoa to room temperature, then place in an airtight container, and in the refrigerator, for up to 5 days.<\/p>\n
I always have a container of quinoa in my fridge for my weekly meal prep! Try it with lemon juice or a simple lemon dressing, a handful of feta cheese, and thinly sliced green onions for a 5 minute salad. Or top it with a fried egg!
\nTools for this Gluten Free Recipe:<\/p>\n
Corn, Tomato, and Avocado Quinoa Salad<\/p>\n
Ashley Manila<\/p>\n
This summer quinoa salad recipe is so easy and bursting with flavor! Cherry tomatoes, fresh corn, creamy avocado, and crunchy cucumbers all star in this healthy salad. A pop of feta cheese and lime dressing are the finishing touches. Healthy and gluten free, it’s perfect as a summer side-dish or as part of your meal prep for the week. <\/p>\n
Prep Time 25 minutes minsCook Time 25 minutes mins<\/p>\n
Course Main Course, Salad, Side DishCuisine American<\/p>\n
Ingredients\u00a0For the Salad Dressing: 1\/2 cup (113ml) olive oil3 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice 3 Tablespoons fresh basil3 Tablespoons fresh cilantro 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar 1 Tablespoon honey 2 teaspoons lime zest finely grated 2 cloves garlic minced salt and pepper to taste For the Salad: 1 and 1\/2 cups quinoa washed and picked over 5 ears sweet corn kernels cut off the cob2 pints cherry tomatoes sliced in half 2 jalapeno peppers seeds removed, diced, optional 1\/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped 1\/4 cup fresh basil chopped 1\/4 cup red onion diced 1 English cucumber diced, optional 3 Tablespoons fresh chives minced, optional 3 scallions thinly sliced 2 large ripe avocados 1 cut into chunks and 1 sliced, divided 1\/2 cup crumbled feta cheese optional
\nInstructions\u00a0For the Salad: Cook quinoa according to package instructions. Cool completely (about 25 minutes) before use.\u00a0In a large salad bowl or serving dish, combine the cooked quinoa with the corn, tomatoes, both peppers, cilantro, basil, red onion, and cucumber, chives, scallions, and the diced avocado. Pour the salad dressing on top and toss well to combine. Top the salad with the sliced avocado, feta, and extra sprigs of basil and cilantro. Serve at once!\u00a0<\/p>\n
Keyword quinoa, salad, avocado, tomato salad<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
This summer quinoa salad recipe is so easy and bursting with flavor! Cherry tomatoes, fresh corn, creamy avocado, and crunchy cucumbers all star in this healthy salad. A pop of feta cheese and lime dressing are the finishing touches. Healthy and gluten free, it\u2019s perfect as a summer side-dish or as part of your meal […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":921,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-920","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-healthy-meals"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sanabaking.snipsglow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/920","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sanabaking.snipsglow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sanabaking.snipsglow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sanabaking.snipsglow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sanabaking.snipsglow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=920"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sanabaking.snipsglow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/920\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sanabaking.snipsglow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/921"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sanabaking.snipsglow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=920"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sanabaking.snipsglow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=920"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sanabaking.snipsglow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=920"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}