Southwest Quinoa Salad

Is it a salad?  A side?  A vegetarian lunch?  Or light supper?

It’s all of that.

 It’s everything delicious I love in one bowl: arugula, black beans, quinoa, cheddar, tomatoes, corn…all together.

Yum.

This recipe serves four portions for lunch or a light supper, more as a side.

Shopping List

2 cups of quinoa (rinse under cold water before using)
3 cups of water
about 2 cups of arugula
1 (15 oz) can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup of fresh (or frozen that have been thawed) corn kernels
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
8 green onions, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1 tomato, chopped (or a handful of cherry tomatoes, halved)
salt and pepper
1 cup of Ranch dressing (the liquid kind)
1 tablespoons chili powder

Rinse your quinoa under cold water and then drain it.  Add your rinsed quinoa and 3 cups of water to a small pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Once boiling, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer about 15 minutes.

Place your cooked quinoa in a bowl along with your arugula, black beans, corn, cheese, onions, jalapenos, tomato and a big pinch of both salt and pepper.  Set aside.  In a small bowl, combine your ranch salad dressing and chili powder together.  Pour this mixture down over your bowl of quinoa and toss everything together.  Cover and refrigerate at least one hour (up to 24) before serving.

That’s it!  A little something full of goodness for your next meal!