High-Protein Colorful Quinoa Salad with Lime-Avocado Oil Dressing
Servings: 4
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Quinoa cooked in bone broth, tossed with black beans, sweet corn, cherry tomatoes, red onion, avocado, and cilantro. Dressed in a lime, avocado oil, zero sugar honey, cumin, and smoked paprika dressing. 15g protein per serving, naturally gluten-free, plant-based as written. The meal prep salad that holds all week.
Ingredients
INGREDIENTS - SALAD:
- ¾ cup dry quinoa rinsed well (yields approximately 2 cups cooked)
- 1.5 cups chicken bone broth
- 1 can 15oz black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can 15oz sweet corn, drained well
- 1 ripe avocado diced into ½-inch pieces
- 1 small red onion finely chopped
- 15 cherry tomatoes halved
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves roughly chopped
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt for cooking quinoa
INGREDIENTS - LIME-AVOCADO OIL DRESSING:
- ⅓ cup avocado oil
- ⅓ cup fresh lime juice approximately 3-4 limes
- 2 garlic cloves mashed to a paste
- 1 teaspoon zero sugar honey https://amzn.to/3OXKsiD
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Cook the quinoa: rinse dry quinoa in a fine-mesh sieve under cold water until the water runs completely clear - minimum 60 seconds of rinsing. This removes the saponins that cause bitterness. Transfer to a medium saucepan. Add bone broth and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to low, cover, and simmer 15 minutes until all liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and rest covered 5 minutes. Uncover and fluff with a fork. Spread on a sheet pan to cool completely - do not dress warm quinoa.
- Make the dressing: whisk together avocado oil, lime juice, mashed garlic, zero sugar honey, cumin, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper in a small bowl until fully emulsified. Taste - it should be bright, slightly savory, with a back note of sweetness from the honey. Adjust salt and lime as needed.
- Assemble: in a large bowl combine cooled quinoa, drained black beans, drained corn, red onion, cherry tomatoes, and cilantro. Pour dressing over and toss well to coat everything evenly.
- Add avocado last: add diced avocado and fold in gently - 3-4 strokes only. You want pieces not mash.
- Chill: cover and refrigerate minimum 2 hours before serving. The dressing melds into the quinoa and beans during this time and the flavor deepens significantly.
- Stir gently before serving and taste for salt and lime. Add a squeeze of fresh lime just before plating.
Nutrition
Calories: 400kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 18g | Sodium: 492mg | Potassium: 665mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 280IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 3mg
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