A Quinoa Salad (fit for a spring picnic)

April 29th, 2014 | Posted by Alison Spath in Vegetable Lovin'

Yesterday morning a mama friend proposed to meet up for an evening dinner picnic with our families at a nearby park. It was quickly decided “Yes! Let’s do it!” and with that I was on to figuring out what to bring.

With a look at what I already had on hand (quinoa, avocado, corn and red pepper), I made a short list (limes and fresh cilantro, plus a Kombucha and some dark chocolate too if you’re going to look at my receipt) and planned a quick grocery trip while the girls were at gymnastics for an hour in the afternoon.

I didn’t intend to blog about this, but when I saw how pretty it was (and pretty delicious too!) I grabbed my camera and typed up the recipe – I will be making this again and don’t want to forget about it!  I’m excited for you to try it too.

Corn and Avocado Quinoa Salad with Red Pepper and Cilantro

Avocado and Corn Quinoa Salad with Red Pepper and Cilantro

4 c cooked quinoa (1 c uncooked makes about 4 cups cooked)
1 avocado, cubed
1 red pepper, chopped
1/2 c chopped fresh cilantro*
1 c (or so) cooked corn, cold
juice from 2 limes
1/3 c olive oil (give or take)
salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste

*I know that people either love or hate cilantro.  If cilantro isn’t your thing, I’d be tempted to swap it with chopped spinach or maybe some feta cheese.  Chopped cucumber, tomatoes or green onion would be other awesome additions.

Prepare quinoa as directed and allow it to cool.  Stir together quinoa, veggies and cilantro, squeeze in lime juice, drizzle with olive oil, add spices and stir together.  Refrigerate for an hour or more before serving to give the flavors time to blend.

This salad was easy to take on a picnic and could work well for a potluck too. It could be equally as great at home as a side dish or even as a quinoa bowl with some black beans or chopped chicken.

Blog Silence

In other news, it’s been more than a month since I’ve posted here!  I’m closing in on the end of yoga teacher training and let’s just say that life is feeling very full right now!  Between being at training every other weekend, lots of practice and time on my mat, combined with reading, writing and studying, not to mention a toddler who is very happy to spend lots of time outside after a long winter – there is little time for much else right now.  It’s all good, but there been have no exciting new recipes (quinoa salads aside!) or amazing work out ideas (yoga! yoga! yoga!) to share.

For those of you who pop in regularly, please know that:

1. You rock!

2. I’m writing this post while in downward dog (not really) and will be back to a more regular posting schedule once teacher training wraps up.  (Yes, really!)

In the meantime, I hope you make some quinoa, throw together a salad and go on a spring picnic!  Take some dark chocolate with you too.


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