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.
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.
Hands down one of the best salads I’ve ever had! I added kale for some extra green goodness.
Wonderful website and this recipe looks great. I’m not much of a cook (yet) so I’m unsure of a couple things. First, did you really mean to say, “Add 1 cup quinoa into pot along with 1.5 cups water or veggie broth?” Wouldn’t that much quinoa require more water or should it be intentionally ‘crunchie?’ And secondly, when you say “1.5 cups of cilantro, finely chopped,” would that be 1.5 cups before chopping (which actually yeilds approx. 3/4 cups once it’s chopped), or should you end up with 1.5 cups chopped (which seems like a lot)? Sorry, I’m so slow!!! Some of these foods are fairly new to me (somethiing I’m about to change). Thanks!
Read more: http://ohsheglows.com/2013/07/19/cumin-lime-black-bean-quinoa-salad-quick-easy/#ixzz2xZbwKVtT
Aaaaack!! Please ignore my first question. I followed your instruction (1 C. quinoa to 1.5 C. water) and of course it was fine. I guess the grain holds some water from the rinsing so that the amount of water is correct. Sometimes I just beak off before thinking! Sorry!
No need to post this if you’d rather not as it’s my third comment within the space of 1-1/2 hours(!!!) but I made this recipe and OMG!!! It was even tastier than the photos lead me to believe. The combination was virtuosic ~ exactly what my nutrient-starved body is craving. It’s my third recipe from your blog (Homemade Almond Milk & Cheesy Kale Chips, both of them also phenomenal). You are brilliant. That is all.
Hi Angela – I came across your website a while ago but have only just started trying out the recipes and I know I’ve made a great decision :) This recipe is absolutely delicious but I wanted to let you know of an addition I made that was fantastic – I wanted to make it more ‘green’ so I shredded some kale in a food processor (first time I’ve ever shredded kale and I’ll certainly be doing it again), so it was almost like parsley and added it with some additional dressing (double the amount) to help soften the kale and it was divine! Definitely a good recipe that you can dress and leave in the fridge and the flavour really grabs to the ingredients with a bit of time. Thank you for the great recipes!
I am eating this salad as I type…Yum! I added avocado and tomatoes as suggested. Would probably make a bit more dressing for more flavor next time but it is certainly good as is.
Sensational, did a mixture of both julienned carrots and roast sweet potatoes. Thanks Angela!
Oh so good!!! Made this yesterday and had a big bowl for dinner. I just had it in tacos with chicken and lettuce for lunch today. I doubled the sauce because last time I made it, it was a little on the dry side. This time it’s PERFECT! Also added extra cumin and maple syrup and agave nectar for a lil more sweetness. When I cook things this good I wonder to myself if I should open a restaurant! lol thank you for the awesome recipe! I also used red onion and added a small bunch of fresh parsley. My tastebuds just went nuts! (I also marinated my chicken overnight in the fridge in a splash of oil & vinegar and kicken chicken seasoning.)
This is my go to summer salad, I made it dozens of times last summer and I am so happy to be coming back to it now for the holiday weekend! Thank you!
Hello Angela, Thank you for this wonderful blog! Thanks to you and my love for cooking I am a very satisfied Vegan, again. The first go around was not as much fun. Thanks to you I have found the most delicious and nutritious recipes. I have tried both the weekend glow kale and back on track salads, salad bows, and the strawberry lime crisp, almond butter balls, carrot baked oatmeal and the overnight oatmeal. All were really delicious! I was skeptical while reading your description and praise of each recipe, but it is totally TRUE!!! Every recipe has been a wonderful adventure in my kitchen with the best outcome imaginable. So tasty and satisfying just bursting with flavor and wonderful textures!. Light and satisfying. Okay, that will be all the praise, for now! I just want to thank you again for sharing your passion for nutritious home cooked food and delicious recipes! I really have enjoyed sampling recipes and plan to peruse through some more tomorrow. So, today I made Cumin Lime Black Bean Quinoa Salad and as expected, I love it!! I used red quinoa and sweet potatoes. So good! Thank you!
XOXO
Oh, Congratulations!
Kelli
Thank you Kelli! I’m so happy you are having success with the recipes. :) And thanks for your congrats! xo
I’ve made this salad twice. I prefer the sweet potatoes because I like their added sweetness! The first time I made it, I used half parsley half cilantro, which was also delicious. The salad kept for a whole week in my fridge!
This recipe is sooo delicious. I never thought I wouldn’t be able to stop eating a salad. I made it with sweet potatoes instead of the carrots (I love the black bean/sweet potato combo) and followed the recipe exactly. I definitely recommend this recipe- one of the few quinoa salad recipes I’ve really enjoyed!
Delicious salad! I used roasted sweet potato as an alternative to carrot.
Absolutely delicious. I would have used 2 limes instead of just one, but other than that, perfect! I added spinach, lettuce (had some leftovers I had to pass lol) and a diced avocado!
I just made this recipe with extra roasted sweet potatoes…..oh, you have to try this. It is amazing.
I love this salad! It’s always my go to for potlucks. I like to add edamame, avocado, sliced almonds and queso fresco, which is crumbly like feta but tastes more like mozzarella. Really you could add anything to this salad. The dressing is soooo yummy!!
Just made this for lunch and oooooh my goodness, so good!! I agree with all the previous posters that say this will probably taste even better after soaking up all the flavors overnight in the fridge!
Thank you so much for such a simple, easy, and healthy recipe!! :)
what is the name of your font used in the Header of this site? pretty please?
Just made this, absolutely delicious!!! 5 stars!
I just made this with lentils because I didn’t have enough quinoa. It is awesome!