Whew! After a Super Bowl Sunday full of great friends, great laughs, and um…all of my favorite not-so-healthy processed dips and chips…thought it would be good to begin the week on a healthier note!

So gathered all of these yummy, colorful veggies to create this delicious quinoa salad. I saw a photo of the recipe on a blog months ago and could not get over how gorgeous it was! Love the colors, love the fresh, light ingredients, and love how simple it is to make!! The chipotle-lime dressing was an especially delightful finish.

So if you’re looking for a bright, fresh recipe to fend off the winter blues…or just a fabulous meal yearround…would highly recommend this one!

Corn & Black Bean Quinoa Salad
(Adapted from Closet Cooking)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup red quinoa
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup black beans (or 1 (15 oz.) can, drained)
• 1 ear corn, grilled and kernels cut from cob (or 1 (15.25 oz.) can, drained)
• 1/2 red pepper, diced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, diced
• 1 green onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 chipotle in adobo sauce, minced (or 1/2 tsp. chipotle powder)
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 2 tsp. hot sauce (optional)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method:

Simmer the quinoa in the water until the water is absorbed, about 20 minutes.

Mix the quinoa, black beans, corn, red pepper, jalapeno, green onion, and cilantro in a large bowl.

Mix the oil, lime juice, chipotle in adobo sauce, cumin, hot sauce (optional), salt and pepper in a small bowl.

Toss the salad in the dressing, and serve.

Ali’s Tip:

Feel free to use this recipe as a base for other salads! In place of the quinoa, you could easily insert some other whole grains, lettuce, rice, or pasta. :)