Avocado Quinoa Salad with Spinach Dressing

With spinach, cucumber, lime, and cilantro, this should be called the “green-wah” salad. It’s really green! Golden corn kernels and red onion give the salad a bit of a color break. Color aside, it tastes great and is healthy. With quinoa as the base, it’s gluten-free and high in protein.

Shopping at a favorite health-food market my tummy was rumbling, so I headed to the fresh deli section to grab a quick snack. They make this great green quinoa salad. The first time I ate it I gobbled the cup down sitting in my car. The second time, I thought, I’ve got to make this at home. The third time, they ran out, so I took a photo of the ingredient list and came up with my own recipe.

Ingredient Tips

• Before cooking, rinse quinoa well in a fine sieve to remove the natural bitter coating called saponin.
• To use fresh corn, boil the cobs in salted water for 3-4 minutes, then slice off the cob for the salad. Alternatively use frozen, thawed, organic corn.
• Peel, seed, and dice the avocado just before adding it to the salad to mix.

Instructions

Cook quinoa and spread it out on a rimmed baking sheet to cool. While it’s cooling, chop the onion and cucumbers, and herb prep and make the spinach dressing.

Spinach Dressing

For the dressing, place 1 giant handful of washed baby spinach leaves into a blender. Add a little water, lime juice, olive oil, garlic and puree. Toss the cooled quinoa with the spinach dressing and the rest of the ingredients.

Serving

Enjoy this salad chilled for lunch or a snack. It also works beautifully as the base for grilled chicken, fish or as a side to burgers. Cool salad recipes are nice to have in your recipe box as we head into warmer weather. Salads like this also pack easily for a picnic.

📖 Recipe

Avocado Quinoa Salad with Spinach Dressing

Sally Cameron

This green quinoa salad with spinach, cilantro, lime and cucumber is healthy and refreshing. I enjoy it for lunch. It’s also great as a side dish with chicken, fish, shrimp or seared scallops. Feel free to taste and add more lime, cilantro or a little extra olive oil to suit your taste. If you can’t stand cilantro, use flat leaf parsley instead. For even more green, add diced avocado before serving.

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Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 20 mins

Total Time 30 mins

Course Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Servings 4

Calories 345 kcal

Ingredients

  

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Avocado Quinoa Salad

• ▢ 1 cup uncooked organic quinoa I use the tri-color
• ▢ 2 cups water
• ▢ 1 cup frozen, thawed organic corn kernels or 2-3 cobs cooked and sliced off
• ▢ ⅓ cup finely diced red onion
• ▢ 1 avocado diced small
• ▢ 2-3 Persian cucumbers

Spinach Dressing

• ▢ 1 large handful washed baby spinach leaves
• ▢ ⅓ cup water
• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 1 lime zested, juiced
• ▢ Salt and pepper
• ▢ 2 large garlic cloves chopped fine
• ▢ 2 handfuls cilantro leaves chopped fine

Instructions

 

Make the Dressing

• Start by making the dressing: Place spinach, water, oil, lime juice and zest, salt, pepper and chopped garlic in a blender and puree into a dressing.

Cook the Quinoa

• Place the quinoa in a fine sieve or strainer and run under cold water for a few minutes to rinse off the saponin (bitter outer coating). Shake off excess water and place in a 2 quart saucepan with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, top with a tight fitting lid, and turn the heat as low as it will go. Cook for 18 minutes. When done, move the pan to a cool burner and allow to steam finish for 8-10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and spread out on a rimmed baking sheet to cool. You can also use wax or parchment paper.

Finish the Salad

• Quarter cucumbers lengthwise, then chop crosswise into small pieces.
• Toss cooled quinoa in a bowl with corn, onion, chopped cilantro and enough of the dressing to coat. You may not use it all. Taste and adjust for what you prefer.

Nutrition

Calories: 345kcalCarbohydrates: 42gProtein: 9gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gSodium: 105mgPotassium: 673mgFiber: 8gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 974IUVitamin C: 15mgCalcium: 56mgIron: 3mg

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