This Southwest Quinoa Salad is a hearty, flavor-packed meal made even more satisfying with a healthy drizzle of our Southwest Turmeric Dressing. We made our own, fresh tortilla strips for this recipe, but feel free to use store-bought chips if you're tight on time or patience. Despite all the different elements, this salad comes together quickly and relatively easily, if you don't mind chopping a few things, that it.
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 cups water
- 3 corn tortillas
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, separated
- Pinch of salt
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 head of green leaf or romaine lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces
- 1/2 cup, red bell peppers, diced
- 1/4 cup onion, diced
- 1 avocado, peeled and sliced
- 1/2 lime, cut into wedges
- 1/2 cup Southwest Turmeric Dressing
Directions
First, make the quinoa. Rinse quinoa in a fine-mesh sieve and drain. Heat one tablespoon of oil in a medium pot over medium-low heat and add the quinoa, tossing to coat. Add the water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to simmer, cover, and let cook for 15 minutes or until the white tendrils start to separate from the grain.
While the quinoa is cooking, make the tortilla strips. Preheat oven to 400º. Slice 3 corn tortillas into thin strips, spray or drizzle with a small amount of olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and smoked paprika. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until golden and crispy.
Assemble all the salad ingredients, starting with the lettuce, then adding quinoa, peppers, onions, avocado, and tortilla strips.
Drizzle with Southwest Turmeric Dressing, add a squeeze fresh lime juice, and toss it all together.
