Black Bean Quinoa Salad
A light and healthy quinoa salad tossed in a refreshing orange vinaigrette, chockfull of protein and fiber!
Greetings from Cabo! After a very emotional departure with Butters, a 4AM wake up call, and spending 10 hours at the airport, we finally made it! So please forgive me if this post is a bit erratic and short. The gorgeous beach view and the last 3 glasses of margaritas are a bit distracting.
Now I should tell you that I clearly did not plan for this trip at all. I tried to – I really did. I even planned a strict “diet” for months prior to the trip, but that didn’t pan out as I hoped as Jason and I gorged on chicken and waffles, Korean BBQ crinkle fries, and tater tot breakfast skillets.
So like the caprese avocado salad I posted the other day, this was one of the last and final attempts for clean eating before our trip. And I must say, it was the most glorious protein-rich salad I could ask for. Loaded with tons of fresh veggies and a refreshing orange vinaigrette, I gorged on this for 3 days straight!
And honestly, if all quinoa salads were like this, dieting would never be an issue.
Black Bean Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 large navel oranges, cut into segments
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
- 1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup canned corn kernels, drained
- ⅓ cup chopped red onion
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
For the orange vinaigrette
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- Zest of 1 orange
- 1 tablespoon sugar
Instructions
- In a large saucepan of 2 cups water, cook quinoa according to package instructions; set aside.
- To make the vinaigrette, whisk together olive oil, apple cider vinegar, orange juice, orange zest and sugar in a small bowl; set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine quinoa, oranges, bell pepper, jalapeno, black beans, corn, onion and cilantro. Pour the vinaigrette on top of the salad and gently toss to combine.
- Serve immediately.
Did you make this recipe?
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Question? Why do you say serve immediately after every recipe, I have tried most of your recipes and love them all, when I see that “serve immediately ” I am intimidated as I do not always serve immediately . Marie
Marie, I tend to end my recipes with “serve immediately” because it is best served immediately when it is fresh and/or hot. That never means that it is not good reheated or served cold in some instances. Please use your best judgement on reheating or re-serving leftovers.
The colors of this salad are so gorgeous…I love the addition of the orange.
Such a yummy salad! I love quick quinoa recipes 🙂
So excited for you that you get to spend a little vacay time!
I am in love with Quinoa salads (especially with the whole bikini wearing thing coming up soon) and your is absolutely gorg! Pinned….have fun! 🙂
This quinoa salad sounds divine! Have a blast on vacation!
Mmm, I never get fed up with quinoa, and this looks delightful! I hope you have an amazing time away 🙂 Maybe you’ll even share som of the trip here? I bet the food is amazing 😀 Happy Thursday! x
What a great pre-vaca get lean and mean and clean out your fridge all in one kind of salad 🙂 And the orange vinaigrette is my kinda thing! And love the new font/graphic/text on the last couple posts!
I love this! It’s so colorful and that orange vinaigrette sounds amazing! And, bonus, it’s healthy! What more could you ask for?
Yum! Super lunchbox idea!