Recipe creation is a funny thing. There are those moments when no amount of testing produces the result I’m looking for. I’ll put so much work into a recipe, only to have it fall short after hours (or days) of work. Vegan baked goods are notorious for being fussy at times, especially when trying to make something wholesome without sacrificing flavour. I usually toss the recipe into my reject pile, in case I’m ever crazy enough to dig it out. Sometimes I am. Other times, I don’t want anything to do with it. ever. again.
Then there are moments, like this salad recipe, that come together effortlessly. With no real plan or guide, I just follow my instincts and taste buds. That’s the best kind of recipe! Summer dishes shine like this which is why I love creating new dishes this time of the year. Things are more simple and the fresh ingredients speak for themselves.
On Friday, we were rushing to get out the door for a weekend at the in-laws and I had a small window of opportunity to throw some food together. I usually try to bring a big batch of Vegan overnight oats, some snacks like hummus and crackers and fruit, and a hearty grain and bean salad. Booze, to balance it all out. Thankfully, I had some cooked quinoa in the fridge and then from there I pulled out a few ingredients from the crisper, decided on an overall flavour, and then whisked together a simple dressing to pour on top.
Black beans. Quinoa. Green onions. Carrots. Cilantro. Cumin. Lime. Love.
Oh, and don’t forget to shoot some quick photos before throwing it into a container and flying out the door!!
Fresh. Delicious. Ready in the amount of time it takes to cook a batch of quinoa. I’ll take it!
If you’re looking for a simple salad to prepare for a road trip, picnic, or just a light lunch, I hope you’ll give this a try! I like to make it the night before and let it sit in the fridge overnight. I have a few more family gatherings this week due to some very special visitors and I already plan on making it at least two more times this week. What can I say, when I like something I want to make it all the time.
Featuring all new, protein-packed salads, hearty toppers, flavour boosters, and dressings you'll want to drink, my new cookbook will transform the way you think about salads. Oh, and be sure to flip to the back for a surprise dessert chapter!
Tangy Cilantro-Lime Quinoa Salad
Yield
4 servings
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
This black bean quinoa salad is so fresh and tangy! It's delicious paired with creamy avocado and fresh pita bread or crackers. If you're not as big of a fan as I am of tangy/acidic dressings, feel free to reduce the amount of lime juice called for.
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa (or 3 cups cooked)
- 1 (14-ounce/398 mL) can black beans (or 1 1/2 cups cooked), drained and rinsed
- 1 1/2 cups fresh cilantro, finely chopped
- 3 medium carrots, julienned (about 1 1/2 cups) or 1 large chopped and roasted sweet potato
- 4 green onions, thinly sliced
- Fine grain sea salt and black pepper, to taste
- Lemon-Tahini Dressing (optional)
- Sliced avocado (optional)
- Endurance Crackers, pita bread, or crackers of choice (optional)
For the dressing:
- 5 to 5 1/2 tablespoons (75 to 82.5 mL) fresh lime juice, to taste
- 4 tablespoons (60 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons (10 mL) pure maple syrup, or to taste
- 3/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt, or to taste
Directions
- To prepare the quinoa: Rinse quinoa in a fine mesh sieve. Add into pot along with 1.5 cups (375 mL) water or veggie broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low-medium, and then cover with a tight-fitting lid. Simmer for 14 to 17 minutes until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is fluffy. Remove from heat and steam with the lid on for 5 additional minutes. Fluff with fork and chill in the fridge for at least 15 minutes.
- In a large bowl, toss the quinoa, drained and rinsed black beans, cilantro, carrots (or roasted sweet potato), and green onions.
- Whisk together the dressing in a small bowl or jar. Adjust to taste if desired. Pour onto salad and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste until everything pops.
- Spoon into bowl and drizzle on some Lemon-Tahini Dressing. Top with sliced avocado and serve with Endurance Crackers, if desired.
Tip:
- The flavours tend to mellow when this salad sits in the fridge, as the quinoa absorbs the dressing a lot. I recommend giving it a "refresh" by adding a squeeze of lime juice, a drizzle of olive oil, and more seasonings to taste. Stir it all together, and taste.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
Another thought – this would also be fantastic with diced avocado and/or mango! Summer tomatoes too. Have fun playing around with the recipe…it’s a good one to adapt.
This sounds delicious! Cumin is a favourite of mine:)
Oh, wow, this one looks like a filling salad! I’ve been searching for something like that since the unbearable heat over here in Germany makes it impossible to eat something else in the office but a salad.
The pictures look gorgeous considering you took them on the way out the door!
I’m just started to try to develop recipes on my own and it’s so much harder and more frustrating than I could have ever imagined.
I love the simplicity of this salad. It’s kind of similar to one you’ve made before that I’ve made several times and love, so I know it’s good!
Mmm, cumin is probably my favourite spice! I don’t use it enough. I know what I’ll be having for lunch tomorrow!
I’m glad to hear I’m not the only one who has recipe ‘disasters’ :-)
I can only imagine how perfectly that dressing compliments the dish! Such wonderful summery flavors to make a filling, yet not too heavy meal. My relatives just might be seeing this at the next family get together :)
What an amazing flavor combination! Such a perfect summer salad.
What a beautiful salad! It’s so summery and I love the combination of flavors.
I love the combination of cumin and lime! And the grated carrot on the top is so pretty :) I agree with you re: vegan baked goods. A while ago, I wanted to make a vegan pink lemonade cake and I had to make (and throw out) 2 different cakes before I finally came up with something decent. Salads and dressings are much easier…with fresh ingredients you know which flavors really pop together and you can build on that.
This looks great. Can the oil be left out for an oil free option?
You probably could, but you’d have to rework the dressing a bit (likely add more sweetener to make up for the zip of the lime juice)
I also wanted to go oil free in the dressing so I omitted the oil and substituted some tahini and water until I had the right flavour and consistency. It was delicious!
Will try this for sure with the tahini and water substitute
I love cumin! It’s one of those spices that reminds me of my childhood. My mom used a lot of it and I love the addition of lime and with the beans. Mmmm. I bet this is tasty and it looks so hearty & healthy!
Love this, especially because it can be made ahead. This would be perfect for work lunches!
Quinoa and black beans are two of my favorite things! That dressing sounds light and summery as well. Love salads in the summer.
Recipe development is a tricky thing. It can go so right, or so so wrong. Baking is so much more difficult for me than cooking. Cooking comes so easy to me and I have no problem pairing ingredients and flavors. Baking.. is a whole other story. It is like a science experiment, and it is so much harder to get the perfect recipe when you are subbing vegan ingredients.
I do something really similar with avocado, roasted corn and halved cherry tomatoes added. The dressing however is completely different and this one sounds amazing…hmmm, cumin is one of my faves! Looking forward to making this!
This sounds awesome! Thank you for this great recipe (and all your other recipes)!
I agree with Lauren. This is definitely going to be my work lunch for a few days next week. Thank you for my future yummy lunches.
This is perfect! I was trying to think of what to make for lunch today with what little is in my fridge and cupboard… but I have all of this! Thanks Angela. :)
This was soooooo good! I saved leftovers and tomorrow I’m going throw some mango and avocado on there. :)
Yummy! You can’t go wrong with quinoa and black beans :) Thanks for sharing!
I definitely need to try this :)
yum — this looks like the perfect summer salad and now I’m craving it for lunch. I bet the carrots give it a perfect sweet crunch. and quinoa, black beans, and cilantro are always winning ingredients in my book!