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Southwest Quinoa Salad with Honey Lime Vinaigrette

Southwest Quinoa Salad #quinoarecipes #quinoasalad

Add this flavorful Southwest Quinoa Salad to your Quinoa Recipe collection! Tex-Mex ingredients grilled to perfection and finished with a Honey Lime Vinaigrette!

Let the wedding festivities begin! My little brother gets hitched on Friday, which is a little cray cray in and of itself because he is still little to me. But with all the craziness and chaos that a wedding brings, I wanted to have a time just to chill with all the friends and family that have been arriving. So Mike and I had a bunch of people over for a BBQ yesterday night.

Now, I know a Quinoa Salad is probably not the first thing you would think of for BBQ party. In fact, at most BBQ’s you will see the always popular “Macaroni Salad” to eat along with your burger. However, I wanted to do something a little healthier but still keep with the same concept of “cold pasta salad.” Quinoa is the perfect substitute for a rice or pasta dish. So, I made a little Southwestern style Quinoa Salad and added a Honey Lime Vinaigrette to punch up the flavor! Quinoa is so easy to make. It literally takes like 15 mintues, plus its delicious and good for you!

So, if you are looking for a dish to make for a 4th of July party and want something a little different and healthier then this Southwest Quinoa Salad is it! If you don’t make it this weekend, then it is just another Quinoa Recipe to add to your collection. 🙂

To get started, heat grill to medium high heat. Place 3 shucked ears of corn {remove the stalk & outer peel},  2 whole orange bell peppers, and 2 whole poblano peppers on grill.

Southwest Quinoa Salad 1

Grill for 10 minutes, turning to grill on all sides. {you will want a nice char on the peppers} Remove from grill and let sit to cool down.

Southwest Quinoa Salad 2

Next, remove the charred skin from the peppers and finely dice.

Southwest Quinoa Salad 6

Cut the corn off the cob.

Southwest Quinoa Salad 4

Slice 1 pint of fresh cherry tomatoes in half.

Southwest Quinoa Salad 5

Place all veggies in a large bowl.

Southwest Quinoa Salad 10

Next, place 2 cups of dry quinoa in a large pot with 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer for 10-15 minutes or until water is evaporated.

Southwest Quinoa Salad 3

In the meantime, in a small bowl mix together 1 1/2 Tablespoons of lime zest, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1 1/2 Tablespoons of honey, 2 Tablespoons of fresh cilantro {chopped}, 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes.

Southwest Quinoa Salad 8

Stir in 1/4 cup of lime juice, 1/2 cup of olive oil, and salt & pepper. Whisk all ingredients together until completely combined.

Southwest Quinoa Salad 9

Fluff the cooled quinoa with a fork and place in large bowl with the chopped vegetables. Next pour dressing over top and mix to completely combine.

Southwest Quinoa Salad 13

Serve it up! Optional: you can top with more lime zest or with a little bit of crumbled Queso Fresco cheese.

Southwest Quinoa Salad #quinoarecipes #quinoasalad

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Southwest Quinoa Salad 13

Southwest Quinoa Salad with Honey Lime Vinaigrette

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  • Author: Krista
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: Serves 1015 1x
  • Category: Salads
  • Method: Grill
  • Cuisine: Mexican

Description

Tex-Mex ingredients are grilled to perfection, tossed with fluffy quinoa, and finished with a Honey Lime Vinaigrette in this Southwest Quinoa Salad!


Ingredients

Scale

Salad Ingredients:

  • 3 ears of corn, shucked {remove the stalk & outer peel}
  • 2 whole orange peppers
  • 2 whole poblano peppers
  • 1 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 2 cups of dry quinoa
  • 4 cups of water

Honey Lime Vinaigrette

  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons of lime zest
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons of honey
  • 2 Tablespoons of fresh Cilantro, chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 cup of lime juice
  • 1/2 cup of olive oil
  • salt & pepper

Instructions

  1. Heat grill to medium high heat.
  2. Place ears of corn, orange bell peppers, and poblano peppers on grill.
  3. Grill for 10 minutes, turning to grill on all sides. {you will want a nice char on the peppers}
  4. Remove from grill and let sit to cool down.
  5. Next, remove the charred skin from the peppers and finely dice. Cut the corn off the cob.
  6. Cut 1 pint of fresh cherry tomatoes in half.
  7. Place all vegetables in a large bowl.
  8. Next, place dry quinoa in a large pot with 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer for 10-15 minutes or until water is evaporated.
  9. In a small bowl, mix together lime zest, garlic cloves, honey, fresh cilantro, red pepper flakes, lime juice, olive oil, and salt & pepper. Whisk all ingredients together until completely combined.
  10. Fluff the cooled quinoa with a fork and place in large bowl with the chopped vegetables.
  11. Pour dressing over top and mix to completely combine.
  12. Serve it up!
  13. Optional: you can top with more lime zest or with a little bit of crumbled queso fresco cheese.

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23 comments on “Southwest Quinoa Salad with Honey Lime Vinaigrette”

  1. It is hard not to feature your recipes every week… but I did put this one in today. Stop by and get your featured button.

    1. Thank you so much, I will definitely stop by and pick up a feature button and display it proudly šŸ™‚

  2. Absolutely stunning, Krista! Thank you so much for linking up with me this week at Tasty Tuesdays! Iā€™ve pinned this & shared it with my followers! Please be sure to stop back by the party and check out some of the other links!

  3. Congrats to your brother… I just made a tuna quinoa salad… great minds think a like or think of quinoa. love this pinning and sharing. So glad you are part of foodie friday. Love your recipes.

    1. OH… I saw that! It looked delicious! šŸ™‚ Thanks for pinning. I also love seeing your sweet comments, brightens my day Diane.

  4. Avatar photo
    Jen Nikolaus

    You’ve done it again, Krista. This looks fabulous and am adding it to my menu for next week! Thanks for always sharing awesome recipes!!!

    ~Jen @ Yummy Healthy Easy

  5. Avatar photo
    Julie @ This Gal Cooks

    I love quinoa. This recipe looks fantastic, especially with those grilled veggies! Pinning and sharing this on Facebook, Krista! Have a fabulous 4th tomorrow!

    1. Us too! It is our new favorite side, its so versatile too! šŸ™‚ Thanks for the pin love! Hope you get to see lots of fireworks tonight. šŸ™‚ Happy 4th!