Southwest Quinoa Salad with Zesty Ranch dressing

This southwest quinoa salad is hearty and tangy with a hint of spice. This lunch packs protein and fiber, keeping you full all afternoon.

How to make the salad

Peel the sweet potato and chop it into 1 cm cubes. Toss it with the oil, garlic powder, salt and pepper either right on the baking sheet or in a small bowl and spread it out evenly on the baking sheet.

While the sweet potato is roasting cook the quinoa based on the package directions. This is also when the dressing can be made. Simply mix all of the ingredients together in a small bowl or a jar and store covered in the fridge until ready to use. If the dressing needs to be thinned out a little add an extra tablespoon or two of non dairy milk.

Use fire-roasted corn if available, but if not, heat a non-stick pan over medium-high heat and add frozen corn as a quick alternative.. Toss the corn around the pan only occasionally so that it doesn’t stick. Once the corn starts to brown remove it from the heat and let cool.

Chop some peppers, wash and tear the cilantro, and the salad is ready to assemble!

Other ingredients that can be added to the salad are chopped tomatoes, pepitas or crispy tofu.

Enjoy!

Southwest Quinoa salad with zesty ranch dressing

Recipe by Jessica

0.0 from 0 votes

A protein and veggie packed salad that is topped with a spicy ranch dressing.

Course: lunch, dinnerDifficulty: beginner

Pin

Print

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

Calories

260

kcal

Total time

45

minutes

Cook Mode

Keep the screen of your device on

Ingredients

• 1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed into 1 cm pieces

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1/2 tsp each, coarse sea salt & fresh ground pepper

• 1/4 tsp garlic powder

• 1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed

• 1 cup frozen corn

• 1 red pepper, diced into 1 cm pieces

• 2 1/2 cups cooked quinoa

• handful cilantro

• Zesty Ranch Dressing

• 1/3 cup plain vegan yogurt

• 2 tbsp vegan mayonnaise

• 1 tbsp lemon juice

• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

• 1/2 tbsp hot sauce

• 1 tsp onion powder

• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

• 1/2 tsp chili powder

• 1/8 tsp salt

• 2 – 3 tbsp fresh chives, finely chopped

• 1 – 2 tbsp non dairy, unsweetened milk

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a medium sized baking pan with parchment paper.
• Toss the chopped sweet potato in olive oil, garlic powder and salt and pepper. Spread the potato on the lined pan and roast for 25 to 30 minutes, tossing half way.
• Cook the quinoa as per the package instructions.
• While the quinoa and sweet potato are cooking, make the dressing. Mix all of the dressing ingredients (except for the milk) together in a small jar. Add the milk in 1 tbsp increments until the dressing is pourable.
• “Fire” roast the corn by pouring it into a small non stick frying pan over medium heat. Cook until any liquid has evaporated and the corn has begun to char, turning only to ensure that it is not sticking to the pan.
• Chop the peppers, drain and rinse the black beans and wash the cilantro.
• Once the sweet potatoes and the quinoa are cooked and cooled slightly assemble the salad.

Notes

• Nutritional information is a rough estimate.
• Nutritional information does not include the Zesty Ranch Dressing.
• The salad can be eaten warm or cold. All ingredients will stay in air tight containers in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• Additions: tomatoes, pepitas or crispy tofu.

Nutrition Facts

• Total number of serves: 4
• Calories: 260kcal
• Carbohydrates: 47.6g
• Protein: 10.4g
• Fat: 4.3g
• Saturated Fat: 0.9g
• Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.9g
• Sodium: 242mg
• Potassium: 677.1mg
• Fiber: 10.1g
• Sugar: 7.9g

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @tofuandbeansblog on Instagram and hashtag it with

Like this recipe?

Follow @tofuandbeans on Pinterest

Follow on Facebook!

Follow us on Facebook