In addition to a great recipe for your 4th of July I wanted to share with you a fundraiser I am doing. I am sure you have heard about the Wildfires in Colorado. The Waldo Canyon fire has destroyed approximately 350 homes, and the High Park Fire destroyed 257 homes. Both fires are still burning. On July 8th I am holding a Bake Sale to help raise money to donate to the Colorado Disaster Relief Fund ? Red Cross. There is a preview of what is for sale, as well as a few great prizes to win up now. Please visit, and help spread the word about this event.
Ok, so now on to the food! I am completely obsessed with avocado. I put it on sandwiches, in salads, in pasta salads, eat it plain….you get the point. So when I saw this recipe for a quinoa salad with an avocado dressing, I was one happy girl. I have been trying so many different quinoa recipes lately, this just seemed like the perfect one to try next.
You could really change this up and put in whatever veggies you like. I stuck with the more “Mexican” style veggies, if there is such a thing. But really, anything you have on hand or is your favorite would work. The avocado dressing is what really stands out in this to me. It is so creamy, and buttery it just works well with the quinoa. And a bonus of this salad? It is great warm or cold. Perfect for your 4th of July picnic or barbeque!
Mexican Quinoa Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing
Adapted from Bake Your Day
Salad
1 cup Quinoa
1 1/4 cups Chicken Broth (or however much liquid your Quinoa calls for)
1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups frozen corn, thawed
1 small zucchini, sauted
1 cup grape tomatoes
3 green onions, chopped
1/4 fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp paprika
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
Creamy Avocado Dressing
1 avocado, pitted
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbls red wine vinegar
1 lime, juiced
1 tsp honey
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbls olive oil
Bring the chicken broth to a boil, and cook quinoa as directed on package.
In a large bowl combine all the veggies and seasonings for the salad. In a food processor, pulse together everything for the dressing, but the olive oil. You might need to scrape down the sides a couple times. Once smooth, slowly stream in the olive oil.
Combine the cooked quinoa with the veggies, and then stir in the avocado dressing. Stir until well coated. Can be served warm or cold.
