A wonderful salad any time of year — Quinoa with black beans, avocado, cilantro, sweet bell peppers, carrots and crispy tortilla strips served over a bed of arugula in a light dressing. This dish pairs well with summer burgers, grilled lamb chops, steak or grilled seafood. And of course, you can make this with our without the tortilla strips but they provide a nice flavor and texture. Serve with a chilled bottle of bear and enjoy!
Black Bean, Avocado, Quinoa Salad with Toasted Tortilla Strips
Ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup dry quinoa, rinsed
- 1 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 small corn tortillas
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 avocado, cut in quarters and sliced
- 2 medium sized carrots, finely diced
- 1 orange or red pepper, diced
- 2 scallions, sliced in rings
- 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/8 teaspoon country or dijon mustard
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 cups baby arugula
Directions
- Heat vegetable oil in saucepan over medium heat. When hot add onion and garlic, saute until lightly browned.
- Mix Quinoa into the saucepan and add vegetable broth. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes
- While the Quinoa is cooking, toast the corn tortilla strips. Stack 2 tortillas on top of each other and slice into 1/4″ wide strips. Spread strips on a non-stick baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees until lightly brown and crisp for 4-5 minutes.
- Dressing: Whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, mustard and salt and pepper to taste, set aside
- Place cooked Quinoa in a large bowl, add diced pepper, carrots, 1/2 cilantro, and black beans. Add 1/2 of the salad dressing gently mixing together – set aside
- In serving bowl place baby arugula, remaining salad dressing, salt and pepper to taste and mix together.
- Place Quinoa salad over arugula, top with remaining cilantro and toasted tortilla strips.
