Red Quinoa, Black Bean & Corn Salad

I like quinoa.  Not only is it gluten free, but it's full of protein--in fact 6 grams in 1/4 cup!  One of our international students had a nutrition assignment--they needed to eat a grain they never ate before.   So we went to Trader Joe's and looked at all the grains, and we found this bag of red quinoa with a yummy sounding recipe on the back. 

 We were all looking forward to trying something new.  Instead of the cilantro dressing it called for I used my son-in-laws balsamic.  It was a great side salad to go along with the chimichangas I made for Cinco de Mayo .  This is a great recipe for  adding any of your own favorite summer vegetables. 

This salad was the perfect side!

Red Quinoa, Black Bean & Corn Salad - for 6

1.  Prepare black beans - You can also make these the night before:   
(1)  Soak 1 cups of black beans.overnight. 
(2)   In the morning drain and add water to cover.  
(3)  Add 1 t of chili powder and 1 t of salt and cook until tender about 1 1/2 hours.  Watch them to make sure they have enough water. 
Note:   You can also just use a can of black beans, but I like to make my own beans. 

2.  Prepare red quinoa:  
(1)  Cook 1 cup of red quinoa in 2 cups of broth.  
(2)  First bring to a boil and then reduce heat and let it simmer for 15 minutes. 
(3)   Put in a small  bowl and let the quinoa cool.
(4)  Toss with a bit of olive oil, 1 t salt salt and 1/2 t of black pepper. 

3.  Prepare vegetables:
(1)  Cut 1 avocado in cubes.
(2)  Slice 1 cup of grape tomatoes (or I used cherry) in half.
(3)  Dice 1/2 cup of a red onion.
(4)  Chop 1/2 bunch of cilantro

4.  Combine vegetables - In a medium sized bowl put:
(1)   The drained black beans, 1 can of corn kernels, avocado, tomatoes, and onion.
(2)  Toss with enough balsamic vinaigrette to coat:   This is a recipe my son-in-law came up with (He's half Italian):  1/2 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, 1/2 t salt, 1/2 t black pepper, 1/2 t dried oregano, and 2 cloves of minced garlic.  

5.  Assemble salad before serving:  Put the red quinoa into a salad bowl and toss with the vegetables.  Then stir in the cilantro.  Taste and add any additional dressing.  

List of Other Salads on this Blog:

Greens/cabbage:
Make it Yourself Thai Peanut Dressing for Mandarin Salad  (My friend Judi's recipe)
KFC Copycat Cole Slaw   (A friend shared this with me)
Belizean Coleslaw    (From Internet search)
Antioxidant Rich Kale Super Salad  (A copycat from a deli, dressing from Syre School Cookbook)

Main Dish Salads
Gluten Free Chinese Chicken Cabbage Salad   (From my Heritage School Cookbook)
Baja Salad with Black Beans & Quinoa  (A remake from something I ate at a restaurant)

Mexican Grilled Salmon & Mango Salad   (From a Betty Crocker summer cookbook)
Jackson Square Shrimp Salad   (From my Syre School cookbook)

Pasta & Quinoa:
Tasty Gluten Free Pasta Salad  (Something I picked up over 20 years ago!)
Vietnamese Vermicelli Salad Bowls   (From an Internet search)
Michelle's Greek Quinoa Salad   (My foodie daughter's own delicious creation!) Another Great Salad with Quinoa - Janah's  Original Quinoa, Cranberry & Feta Salad  (a recipe my daughter came up with)

Vegetable:
Jeremy D's Sensational Greek Salad   (My son-in-law's recipe)

Grandma's Perfect Potato Salad   (Family recipe)
Rose's Refreshing Cucumber Salad   (From a Chinese friend)
A Great BBQ side Salad - Curried Pea Salad  (From my church cookbook, Come & Dine)

Dot's Easy Bean Salad  (Recipe from an  83 yr old friend of my father's)

Fruit:
Grandma Marilyn's Frozen Fruit Salad  (My mother-in-law's recipe)