A healthy and light quinoa salad with a delicious orange vinaigrette. Full of fiber and protein!
Salutations from Cabo! We finally arrived in Cabo after a 10-hour journey, an emotional departure, and a 4 a.m. wake-up call. Please forgive me for this short and erratic post. The beautiful beach view and the last three margarita glasses are distracting.
I must tell you now that I did not plan this trip in any way. I tried – really, I did. I tried to stick to a “diet” months before the trip. But it didn’t work out like I had hoped. Jason and I devoured Korean BBQ crinkle potatoes and Tater to breakfast skillets.
This was, like the avocado caprese salad that I posted a few days ago, one of our last and final attempts at clean eating before we leave. It was the most delicious, protein-rich salad that I have ever eaten. This salad was so delicious! It had tons of veggies and a tasty orange vinaigrette, and I could eat it for three days straight.
If all quinoa-based salads looked like this one, weight loss would be a non-issue.
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa
- Two large navel oranges, cut into segments
- 1 Red bell pepper diced
- One jalapeno seeded, diced, and sliced
- 1 cup black beans canned, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup drained canned corn kernels
- Red onion, 1/3 cup
- Fresh cilantro leaves chopped into two tablespoons
For the ORANGE VINAIGRETTE
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed Orange Juice
- Zest of 1 Orange
- Sugar, 1 Tablespoon
Instructions
- Cook quinoa in a large pan with 2 cups of water according to the package directions. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, apple vinegar, orange juice, and orange zest with sugar. Set aside.
- Combine quinoa with oranges, black beans, and corn in a large bowl. Add bell peppers, cilantro, onions, jalapenos, and black beans. Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and gently mix to combine.
- Serve immediately