Today is a Secret Recipe Club reveal!
Welcome to July’s SRC and Group C’s posting day.
There is always excitement (and yes, a bit of trepidation) when I get Debbi’s email each month with my secret assignment.
Will I get an international blogger? (Check. Done that with Tandy at Lavender and Lime and Louise from Lick That Spoon and Manuela from Manu’s Menu).
Will I get a blogger friend’s blog? (Check. Done that with Veronica at My Catholic Kitchen.)
Or, will I get the Queen of Blogs, one that is famous in blog circles, whose photos always look perfect, whose recipes are delicious?
Yep, it smooth happened this month.
I got Liz from That Skinny Chick Can Bake.
I was officially “freaked out.” I was excited yet petrified.
Everything Liz posts is delicious sounding and she is the supreme baker and treat maker; so much so, that I didn’t think I could hold a candle to her baking and dessert making prowess. So I chickened out and made a mere salad, but what a salad this is.
Quinoa Fiesta Salad
Slightly adapted from Quinoa and Black Bean Salad from Liz at That Skinny Chick Can Bake1 c. white quinoa, rinsed and cooked in salted water according to package instructions
1 1/2 T. red wine vinegar
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 ears of fresh corn on the cob (or 1 ½ c. frozen corn, thawed)
1 large jalapeño, minced (about ¼ cup)
2 small firm avocados, chopped
1 pint grape tomatoes, sliced in half lengthwise
1/3 c. red onion, chopped
1/4 c. finely chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 c. cojita cheese, crumbledDressing:
6 T. fresh lime juice
1 t. fine sea salt
1 t. ground cumin
¼ t. ground coriander
1/3 c. olive oilCook quinoa using package instructions. Drain and place in large bowl and toss with the vinegar. Set aside to let cool.
Cut corn off cob and prep other veggies. (See tip below.)
Add beans, corn, jalapeño, avocados, tomatoes, onion, cilantro, and crumbled cojita. Gently toss.
Make dressing by combining lime juice, salt and spices. Whisk in oil. Drizzle over salad. Toss to combine. Serve at room temperature. The longer this sets the better it is.
I did dare make a few changes:
I decreased the amount of quinoa, used fresh jalapenos instead of pickled, added cojita and red onion, and increased the lime juice. I also changed the name to Quinoa Fiesta Salad because of the black beans, jalapenos, corn, cilantro and cojita.
All the veggies (but the avocado, of course) came from the farmer’s market.
Place corn cob in the center of a bundt pan when taking the kernels off the cob. All the kernels fall into the pan. No mess!
The hubs does not care for quinoa too much. That is one reason I decreased the amount a bit and added more veggies. After working in the garden all morning one Saturday, we paused for a lunch of this salad. His first bite? “This is really good.” Second bite? “No, this is really, really good.” Third bite? “Is there some more of this stuff?” (He just mentioned that I could make this salad again anytime, and this after eating it almost everyday for lunch.) This is also really good with some chopped leftover grilled chicken. Yum!
Thank you, Liz for a salad that is a keeper. (Really, I was totally excited to get your blog this month. I was just fine after the first “freak out.”) And, I do consider you a blogger friend. Thank you for your regular comments here on my own meager blog. 🙂
So Liz, I have to ask the question that everyone is dying to know the answer to.
How do you stay so skinny with all the desserts you post? I suspect you feed them to your family and you subsist on great salads like this.
Thanks to our SRC hosts Jane, Sarah, Suzanne, and the fabulous Group C host, Debbi. They do a super fantastic job keeping us all organized, informed, and on track! Thank you, ladies! (For all my past SRC posts, click here. )
Abigail, here is your virtual flower for the day.
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Comments & Replies
40 responses to “Quinoa Fiesta Salad”
I am 100% loving this salad and everything about it! What a great summertime meal! What a great tip with the bundt pan.
Thanks, Pamela. I really can’t express how great this salad is. Liz is a genius!
No need to get freaked out, you did a great job! 🙂
Thanks, April. Thanks for being an honorary Group C member this month. 🙂
This is a real fiesta in a bowl…So colorful and yum!
Hey, Denise. Thanks. Your Pina Colada smoothie sounds delish as well!
Love this pick, Debra – this is totally up my alley – all that quinoa and love the addition of corn! Hope you are relaxed and easing your way back into “real life” after your trip to the lake!
Yep, it is hard to get back into the swing of things (read “work”) but it is good to be home.
You are just the sweetest!!!! I love this salad…and love what you did to it. And I’m so glad your hubby enjoyed it, too…you made my day!!! xo
PS…yup, I just eat small amounts of my desserts (I give away a lot, too) and make sure I hop on the treadmill each day. Plus I try to work in hot yoga 2-3 times a week.
PPS…you DON’T have a meager blog. It’s marvelous and that’s why I stop by as much as I can 🙂
You really are the Queen! LOL I was proud to get your blog this month and truly, this salad is amazing. Thank you, Liz.
This is not just a “mere” salad. This looks wonderful and I am totally putting it on the menu. I’m looking for healthy recipes and knew I would want something with quinoa this week. This is perfect! Thanks!
Thanks, Debbi. Really, I am making this again this week and grilling chicken to add. Perfect summer meal.
Totally love this salad…it screams FRESHNESS!
Thanks, Angie. I am wondering how fresh cucumbers would be in it too. Maybe instead of avocados (which I love, but sometimes I really can’t get the best).
In LOOOOVE with quinoa, Liz, and YOU! <3 Great choice!
You are too sweet. How in the heck did I miss that jalapeno cheese ball on your original post? That looks fantastico!!!! And don’t get me started on those poblano fries!
This salad look absolutely delicious!
Thank you, Gloria.
LOL – I saw this and wondered who’d gotten Liz. Isn’t this salad just fabulous??? We do love quinoa and this is perfect with it! And, yes, I feel the same way when I get one of those blogs like Liz’s where the photography is amazing and the recipes are incredible… Alas, I’ll never have one of those. BTW – didn’t you have a bunch of garlic scape recipes? We had a few and I wound up sauteeing them after I kept hunting on your blog and couldn’t find them.
Liz strikes fear into the hearts of all bloggers everywhere! LOL.
No, I have some wild onion recipes. I always forget to pick the scapes until they are too big and the garlic itself is ready to harvest. 🙁
I have a confession….I have never had quinoa. Your husband’s reaction to this has made me want to try it out on my own man though!
Just add lots of veggies! 🙂 (And maybe some chicken. ) LOL
Great idea for a summer salad!
Thanks! Loved that cinnamony, sugar, cranberry nutty mix you made this round.
I love quinoa! It looks absolutely amazing. I love the colors… my daughter will go crazy over this one.
Hope you make it for her, Veronica.
This looks so good and you are not a meager blogger! I love your blog! My husband thought he didn’t like quinoa either but he’s changed his mind too, so funny!
Thanks, Chris. What is it with the guys?
YUM! This looks wonderful and seriously – what the heck are you talking about not being a great chef and photographer like Liz!?!? I will agree her photos are impeccable but so are yours! As you can tell, I am WAY behind on my reading again. It is really storming here right now – hope you get some more rain today as well!
We had hellacious wind last night. This may be the wettest (and coolest) July we have had in a long time. Thanks for the votes of confidence. 🙂
That is quite the accomplishment, I also love–and am quite surprised!–when my husband enjoys a meatless dish I make! This one looks particularly wonderful. The summery colors and fresh look are really top notch! Great photography!
It is a surprise, isn’t it? 🙂
Agreed–Lizzy is the queen! Love her blog–but I love yours too! This looks like something I must make–because I have never eaten or cooked quinoa! Will try it soon because I like everything in your recipe!
You must try quinoa as soon as you are able!
This is the perfect summer salad! lots of fresh and delicious ingredients!
Yes, it would be great with more peppers, I think.
Luckily dear husband LOVESLOVESLOVES quinoa. This is perfect with so much local produce and not too heavy with all the HOT weather we’ve been having. Thanks for sharing with SRC.
Thanks, Denise. Hope your dear hubs likes this salad.
We have those same hydrangea at our house, both pink and white ones. Hydrangeas are actually my favorite flower. http://fromchapelhilltochickenville.blogspot.com/2010/06/hydrangea-are-easiest-flowers.html are some from my garden.
And I’m going to chime in with the others….sooooo NOT a meager blogger. Just like you are not a meager person. You are a rock, a diamond.
You’re the rock, sister. Hope you are staying centered.