Southwest Avocado Quinoa Corn Salad – the perfect summer salad to bring to BBQ’s & potlucks | Gluten Free + Vegetarian 

You know you’re onto something good when you’re actually looking forward to leftovers. Cold leftovers. Hot leftovers. Poorly-reheated-blistering-hot-in-some-places-arctic-cold-in-other-places-leftovers.

Every English teacher I ever had just internally cringed at the mere existence of that last sentence. Sorry!

All of the ways in which leftovers can make a once hot, delicious meal sad and ruined stand no chance here.

Because this stuff. I’ve been eating this Southwest Avocado Quinoa Corn Salad every which way for the past week and I still can’t get enough of it.

Let me tell you – this is some good stuff right here.

Originally I set out to make some sort of Mexican Street Corn Salad. I’m not going to lie – Cinco de Mayo is this Friday and as your resident, gluten free basic b**** I thought it would be a good idea. Super original.

I spent about 2 seconds on my Pinterest homepage and realised that everyone and their mother already has their very own version so I thought I’d give that idea a miss….at least for now!

And thus my Mexican Street Corn Salad became this Southwest Avocado Quinoa Corn Salad. And what a delicious deviation we have here.

I took all of the best parts of the classic street corn salad:

Cilantro
Jalapenos
Lime Juice
Sweet Corn
Spice

and tossed in a load of quinoa and avocado. YUM.

Instead of a creamy, mayo filled dressing we’re using olive oil as the base of the sauce. If you’re in need of a dairy free salad you can always throw in some vegan feta instead. I like using this recipe from The First Mess if I make my own – it’s a really simple, soy free recipe that tastes so similar to the real thing. That being said, you can always buy your own and save yourself the hassle. I won’t tell! Leaving out the cheese is always an option – while I do think it adds a certain salty, tangy freshness these flavours are filled out enough without it that you won’t be missing too much.

It would be great to take to a pot luck or a summer cookout. If the weather is right you can always fire up the grill and char the corn over the fire. Since we’re still a bit of a way out from grilling weather in our neck of the woods, I charred up the corn over the stove top as the quinoa was cooking.

I hope you enjoy this salad as much as I do!

FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST  

Don’t forget to #asaucykitchen on instagram if you try this Southwest Avocado Quinoa Corn Salad! I love seeing what you make with!  You can also post your pictures to our facebook page!

Yield: 8 servings

Southwest Avocado Quinoa Corn Salad

5.0 Stars (3 Reviews)

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Print

• Email

Rate

Southwest Avocado Quinoa Corn Salad - the perfect summer salad to bring to BBQ's & potlucks | Gluten Free + Vegetarian 

Ingredients

Toggle ingredient group

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa rinsed
• 2 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 ears fresh corn | about 3 cups shucked (kernels removed)
• 1/2 cup green onions, chopped
• 1/2 cup cilantro, stems removed and chopped
• 1 avocado, pit removed and diced
• 1/2 cup cojita cheese or feta cheese

Dressing

Toggle ingredient group

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 jalapeno, deseeded and chopped
• 1 small red chilli pepper, optional
• 1/4 teaspoon salt & pepper each

Need help converting to weights? Check out my cups to grams Conversion Guide.

Instructions

Prep the quinoa

1. Add the quinoa to a fine mesh strainer and rinse with cold water. Add the quinoa to medium sized sauce pan and cover with the stock. Bring quinoa and liquid to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed. about 15 to 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork and transfer to a large bowl and set aside until you need it. 

Prep the Corn & Salad

1. Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over a medium high heat until hot. Add corn kernel and salt and gently toss. Cook without moving for about 2 minutes until the corn until charred on one side, Toss again, and repeat until charred on second side. Continue tossing and charring until well charred all over, about 10 minutes altogether. Remove from the heat and add the bowl with the quinoa.
2. Add the green onions, cilantro, avocado and cheese to the quinoa and corn and toss to mix. 

Make the Dressing

1. In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, paprika, chilli powder, jalapeno & chilli pepper, salt and pepper until combined. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well to coat everything in the dressing. Taste and season with additional salt, pepper and chilli powder as needed. 
2. Serve hot, cold or at room temperature.  

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

serving
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 236Saturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 486mgCarbohydrates: 26gFiber: 4gSugar: 4gProtein: 6g

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.

© A Saucy Kitchen, Sarah Nevins

Cuisine: Mexican American

More Summer Salads You Might Enjoy:

• Sautéed Corn & Courgette Salad
• Chopped Southwest Chicken Salad with a Tahini Lime Dressing
• Guacamole Salad
• Almond & Apricot Chicken Salad
• Chopped Thai Broccoli Salad
• Mango & Shrimp Thai Noodle Salad
• Smashed Chickpea Salad