With spinach, cucumber, lime, and cilantro, this avocado quinoa salad should be called the "green-wah" salad. Between the avocado and the spinach dressing, 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, high in protein, and delicious! Great for meal preppers and for lunches.
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.
Recipe
Why You'll Like This
- It's healthy and high in protein.
- Tastes terrific.
- Easily made ahead.
- Simple, limited ingredients.
For another terrific recipe with quinoa, try this lentil quinoa salad with lemon vinaigrette.
Recipe Ingredients
Quinoa Salad
- Quinoa: The tri-color quinoa gives it more color but use the all white if preferred.
- Corn: Frozen, thawed organic corn kernels or fresh corn cobs cooked and sliced off
- Red onion: For color, flavor, and a little zing.
- Avocado: Be sure it's ripe or let it sit on the counter for a few days.
- Cucumber: Buy little sweet Persian or mini cucumbers or an English cucumber.
Spinach Dressing
- Spinach: Fresh spinach, buy the bagged or boxed baby spinach.
- Oil: Extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil.
- Lime: Both the zest and juice for some zing in the dressing. It's the acid instead of vinegar.
- Garlic: Fresh cloves for the best flavor.
- Herbs: Cilantro leaves add flavor, but use Italian parsley if you don't like cilantro.
Recipe Instructions
Step 1: Rinse quinoa well in cold water to remove the natural bitter coating called saponin. Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook quinoa according to the package directions. Rinse and cool by spreading it out on a rimmed baking sheet . While it's cooling, chop the onion and cucumbers, and herb prep and make the spinach dressing.
Step 2: If using fresh corn, bring a pot of water to a boil, add salt, and cook corn 3-4 minutes, then slice kernels off the cob. If using frozen, thaw and cook according to the package directions.
Step 3: Peel, seed, and dice the avocado just before adding it to the salad to mix.
Step 4: 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 Suggestions
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 Lime Vinaigrette
Ingredients
Avocado Quinoa Salad
- 1 cup raw quinoa tri-color or white
- 2 cups water
- 1 - 1 ½ cups thawed frozen corn or kernels cut from 2 cooked ears
- ¼ cup finely diced red onion or shallot
- 1 large avocado
- 2-3 Persian or mini cucumbers
- 1 cup washed baby spinach leaves chopped
- 2 tablespoons toasted pepitas optional
Lime vinaigrette
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 large garlic clove finely zested
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro or parsley leaves or part mint
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 piches pepper
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Instructions
Make the Dressing
- Start by making the dressing: Place vinaigrette ingredients into a blender and blend smooth.
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 15-18 minutes. When done, move the pan to a cool burner and allow to steam finish for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and spread out on a rimmed baking sheet to cool. You can also use parchment paper for cooling.
Prep the vegetables
- Quarter cucumbers lengthwise, lay quarters flat and slice out the seedy centers. Chop cucumbers crosswise into small pieces.
Assemble salad
- Just before serving, peel, seed, and chop the avocado small. Toss cooled quinoa in a bowl with corn, onion, chopped cilantro, and diced avocado, plus 2-3 tablespoons of dressing. Taste and add more dressing if preferred. You may not use it all.
Nutrition
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Rosemary says
Oops, I think the avocado was left out of the salad, but I know it will be good in it!
Sally Cameron says
Hi Rosemary, yes, thanks I see it mix the "when to mix in" in the recipe card, but it is in the ingredients list and in step 3 of the post. Will update right now :).
Rosegirl says
Love the new recipe. I used lemon instead of lime because I just didn't have one. I'm sure it changed the taste, but it was still great. The next time I make it, I'll cut the garlic to one instead of two. Just a personal preference--I ended up with garlic breath. Hubby approved recipe. He wanted more!
Amy Rising says
This Greenwah Quinoa is delicious!!
Shut Up and Cook says
I've been really enjoying my kale and spinach smoothies in the morning so can totally appreciate how nicely this spinach would work in the dressing. Quinoa truly is one of those miracle foods. Love it!
Lizzy (Good Things) says
Oh wow, this looks delicious. Thank you for sharing, I just happen to have a large bag of quinoa in my larder and all the other fresh ingredients too!
Madonna/aka/Ms. Lemon says
This sounds like a perfect summer lunch, and I like the idea of a nice piece of fish served on top for a dinner. The “Green-wah” just made me laugh.