South of the Border Quinoa Salad with Cilantro Lime Avocado Dressing

Looking for a side dish to bring to a potluck that’s healthy and delicious?! This South of the Border Quinoa Salad is guaranteed to be a crowd pleasure. It’s vegan, gluten-free and easy to make! All you’ll need is a few key ingredients.

I brought this salad to my in-laws house a few weeks ago and they all loved it. It’s packed with protein from the quinoa and black beans, fiber from the veggies and healthy fats from the avocado.

Ingredient Notes

Quinoa – You’ll want cooled quinoa so make sure you make this early enough for the quinoa to cool.

Avocado – One big, ripe avocado or two small avocados should be enough but if you love your salad to have a ton of dressing, you can easily add more.

Cilantro – I know some people think cilantro tastes like soap, so if you’re one of those people, you can leave it out, but cilantro definitely brightens up this dish and gives it a great fresh flavor.

Water / olive oil – I used water when I made this recipe, but you can also substitute olive oil. It just depends on your preference. Start with a little bit and add as much as is needed to get the consistency you want.

After the dressing is mixed in

Instructions

  1. Cook your quinoa according to package directions. Allow to cool.
  2. Add black beans, red pepper, onion, and corn to quinoa and stir.
  3. In a blender, combine avocado, cilantro, lime, water and salt and blend.
  4. Pour avocado dressing over quinoa salad and mix.
  5. Enjoy!

Notes

  • This recipe is easily customizable based on what you have in your fridge. You can add tomatoes, cucumbers or other veggies. You can leave out the onions if you don’t like onions. You can add more cilantro or less depending on preference. And the same goes for the water/olive oil depending on how much dressing you want. Have fun while making this!
  • If you’re having this as a main course, I’d say it serves 4 people but if you’re having it as a side, it’s more like 6-8 servings.

Storing Instructions

Store salad in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

South of the Border Quinoa Salad with Cilantro Lime Avocado Dressing

Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Main Course, Salad
Cuisine: Vegan
Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

Quinoa Salad

  • 1 cup quinoa
  • 1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
  • 1/4 cup corn
  • 1/2 cup onion, diced
  • 1/2 cup bell pepper, any color

Dressing

  • 1 large avocado
  • 1 bunch cilantro
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 2-4 tbsp water or olive oil
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

  • Prepare your quinoa according to package directions. Allow to cool.
  • Add black beans, red pepper, onion, and corn to quinoa and stir.
  • In a blender, combine avocado, cilantro, lime and 2 tbsp water/oil and blend. Add additional water/oil as needed and salt and pepper to taste.
  • Pour avocado dressing over quinoa salad and mix.
  • Serve immediately and enjoy!

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