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Active Time
30 minutes
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Total Time
1 hour
This refreshing and flavorful, protein-rich salad brings in some of the flavors of the traditional salsa Mexicana that’s often served alongside grilled fish. Blackened green onions are transformed into a smooth and herbaceous dressing with lime juice, cilantro, and avocado oil. The lightly salted cucumbers, blistered tomatoes, creamy avocado, and a touch of crispyquinoaand lime zest make this the salad you want on repeat. No greens needed.
This Quinoa a la Mexicana recipe was medically reviewed byMeghan Goodman, MS, RDN, CDCES, CDNas a part of thisheart-healthy recipescollection. Talk to your care provider about whether it’s right for you.
Ingredients
6 servings
Step 1
Preheat oven to 375°. Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add½ cup white, red, or tricolor quinoa, rinsed, then reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until quinoa is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, 12–15 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water.
Step 2
Transfer quinoa to a baking sheet and toss with2 Tbsp. avocado oiland¼ tsp. Diamond Crystal kosher salt. Bake, tossing halfway through, until crispy and golden brown, 25–30 minutes.
Step 3
Meanwhile, peel1 large English hothouse cucumber (about 12 oz.)in alternating stripes. Cut in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds with a spoon. Slice at an angle to create long C-shaped slices. Transfer cucumber to a large bowl and toss with½ tsp. Diamond Crystal kosher salt.
Step 4
Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high. Cook2 bunches scallions (about 16 scallions/6 oz.), trimmed, cut into 1" pieces (about 2½ cups), and1 Tbsp. avocado oil, tossing often, until charred in spots, 5–7 minutes. Transfer scallions to a blender.
Step 5
Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook10 oz. Sun Gold or cherry tomatoes (about 2 cups),¼ tsp. Diamond Crystal kosher salt, and1 tsp. freshly ground pepperin same skillet, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes are blistered, 6–8 minutes. Transfer tomatoes to bowl with cucumbers.
Step 6
Add¾ cup (lightly packed) cilantro leaves,juice of 1 lime (about 2 Tbsp.), remaining2 Tbsp. avocado oiland¼ tsp. Diamond Crystal kosher salt, and ¼ cup water to blender with scallions. Purée until smooth, 2–3 minutes.
Step 7
Add two thirds of scallion sauce to cucumber mixture and toss to combine. Add1 avocado, cut into ½" cubes, and gently stir to combine.
Step 8
Transfer vegetables to a platter and sprinkle crispy quinoa over. Drizzle with remaining scallion sauce. Sprinklezest of 1 lime (about 1 Tbsp.)over quinoa.
Editor’s note:Baking the quinoa gives it a crispy texture, but you can skip this step and prepare the salad with cooked, cooled quinoa instead.
Leave a Review
Reviews (2)
Back to TopDreadful and lots of work! The crunchy quinoa was overwhelming and the dressing was bitter.
Anonymous
Dallas
6/27/2023
很好。花了很多时间超过30分钟crisp the quinoa, though. More like an hour. I would definitely make again, but next time I would consider adding a can of cannellini beans or chickpeas to make it even more protein-rich. It didn't feel like a complete meal, even though it contained plentiful quinoa.
Karin
Chicago, IL
6/22/2023
I agree with April Baer (I always follow her advice). Also, I found the crisped quinoa to be too little to balance the veggies. So, I also made a batch of regular quinoa and added that in. Very fresh tasting.
ShuNeu
8/9/2023
I thought this was pretty good! But agree with the prior review - toasting takes more time. Also next time I’d double the sauce to really make the flavors pop.
April Baer
7/2/2023