Southwest Quinoa Bowl with Cilantro Dressing

Southwest Quinoa Bowl with Cilantro Dressing is an incredible quinoa bowl. It is healthy and full of yummy Tex-Mex flavor. This quinoa bowl recipe is perfect for a weekend lunch, or make it the day before for a satisfying and delicious work lunch.

Originally published 8/12/17

Southwest Quinoa Bowl with Cilantro Dressing

Grain Bowls are super popular. We used to call it "Rice Salad" back in the day. We hadn't discovered quinoa yet! This is a super flavorful quinoa recipe with a stellar cilantro dressing!

Quinoa is one of my favorite "newer" foods. I love it in soups, and mixed with rice, with gravy, in salads, and grain bowls, of course!

Nowadays Quinoa is considered a Superfood. It has a lot of protein and other great nutrients in it. It is technically not a grain, but a seed, but let's not split hairs. It's delicious, healthy and versatile!

Quinoa used to be hard to find, and was just in health food stores. Now you can find it just about everywhere!

The Cilantro Dressing takes this Southwest Quinoa Bowl over the edge of flavor amazingness!

You will have leftover dressing, and I encourage you to use it for dipping my Sweet Potato Steak Fries in. Or save it for tacos!

Is Quinoa easy to cook?

Yes it is! It is cooked similar to rice, and is very simple. Boil water, add quinoa, put lid on. Cook for 15 minutes, then let it sit off the heat for 5 minutes! Easy!

Why is quinoa sometimes bitter tasting?

• That is because the quinoa wasn't rinsed prior to cooking it. Quinoa has a naturally occurring coating called Saponin. It is like quinoa's natural bug repellent! It tastes either kind of bitter, or like soap.

Luckily the saponin rinses off easily.

• Put your quinoa in a fine mesh strainer and immerse it in a bowl of cool water.
• Let it sit there in the water for a few minutes.
• Then rinse it very well and drain it and it's ready to cook.

Easy Instant Pot Quinoa
Instant Pot Quinoa Taco Bowls
Mexican Street Corn Salad
Caprese Orzo Salad

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Southwest Quinoa Bowl with Cilantro Dressing

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

20 mins

Total Time

30 mins

 

Southwest Quinoa Bowl with Cilantro Dressing is a hearty healthy grain bowl packed with amazing flavors! So easy to put together, and you will love the dressing!

Course: Salad, Vegetarian

Cuisine: American

Keyword: quinoa bowl recipe

Servings: 1 Serving

Calories: 434 kcal

Author: Sandy Clifton

Ingredients

Quinoa

• ½ cup Quinoa
• 1 cup Water
• Pinch of Salt

The Salad

• ½ Ripe Avocado, mashed
• Pinch of Salt
• 1 Squeeze of Lime Juice
• ¼ cup Corn Kernels, (fresh, froze, or canned)
• ⅛ Red Onion, thinly sliced
• ¼ cup Black Beans, canned, rinsed & drained
• ½ Roasted Red Pepper, sliced

Cilantro Dressing

• ¼ cup Mayonaise
• ¾ cup Sour Cream (or Greek yogurt)
• 1 clove Garlic
• Pinch of Salt
• Pinch of Pepper
• Handful of Fresh Cilantro Leaves, rinsed & chopped

Garnish

• Sliced Jalapeño
• Cotija Cheese

Instructions

Prepare Quinoa

1. Add quinoa, water, and salt to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 15 minutes.

2. Take pan off of heat and let sit for 5 minutes.

3. Remove lid and fluff quinoa with a fork. Quinoa is done when it looks translucent and you can see the germ (the little sprout).

4. Set aside to cool.

Make the Dressing

1. Add dressing ingredients to a mini food processor and pulse several times, until ingredients are well chopped and blended.
   

Assemble the Bowl

1. When Quinoa has cooled (you can serve it warm, but I don’t recommend hot), transfer to a bowl.

2. Mash the avocado with the salt and lime juice. Place in bowl with quinoa.

3. Add the corn, onion, black beans, and roasted red pepper to the bowl.

4. Drizzle with the cilantro dressing and garnish as desired.