California Quinoa Salad

Bright, fresh, and packed with wholesome ingredients, this California Quinoa Salad is a nutrient-rich medley that's perfect as a light meal or satisfying side dish. Featuring fluffy quinoa as the base, it’s layered with creamy avocado, crisp cucumber, sweet cherry tomatoes, and zesty red onion, with a hint of fresh cilantro for added vibrancy. A tangy lime dressing, lightly sweetened with honey and spiced with cumin, ties all the flavors together for a truly refreshing dish. Ready in just 30 minutes, this gluten-free and protein-packed salad is not only easy to prepare but also ideal for meal prep. Serve it chilled or at room temperature for a versatile dish that's sure to please! Perfect keywords for search: quinoa salad, healthy recipes, avocado quinoa salad, gluten-free salad, California-style salad.

Nutriscore Rating: 72/100

Prep Time:15 mins

Cook Time:15 mins

Total Time:30 mins

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups water
• 1 large avocado
• 1 medium cucumber
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes
• 0.25 cup red onion
• 0.25 cup fresh cilantro
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 0.5 teaspoon ground cumin
• 0.5 teaspoon salt
• 0.25 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

Step 1

Rinse the quinoa under cold water using a fine-mesh sieve.

Step 2

In a medium pot, combine the quinoa and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and cover with a lid. Cook for 15 minutes or until the quinoa absorbs all the water.

Step 3

Remove the cooked quinoa from heat and let it rest for 5 minutes. Fluff it with a fork and allow it to cool completely.

Step 4

While the quinoa is cooling, prepare the vegetables. Dice the avocado, chop the cucumber, halve the cherry tomatoes, finely chop the red onion, and coarsely chop the fresh cilantro.

Step 5

In a small mixing bowl, prepare the dressing by whisking together olive oil, lime juice, honey, ground cumin, salt, and black pepper until well combined.

Step 6

In a large salad bowl, combine the cooled quinoa, avocado, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, red onion, and cilantro.

Step 7

Pour the dressing over the salad and gently toss everything together to coat evenly.

Step 8

Season with additional salt and pepper if needed. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 2 hours to allow the flavors to meld together.

Nutrition Facts

Serving size	(1373.7g)

Amount per serving	% Daily Value*
Calories	1383.8

Total Fat 84.2g	0%
Saturated Fat 10.9g	0%
Polyunsaturated Fat 7.7g
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 2415.4mg	0%
Total Carbohydrate 136.0g	0%
Dietary Fiber 17.5g	0%
Total Sugars 17.1g
Protein 31.4g	0%

Vitamin D 0IU	0%
Calcium 156.2mg	0%
Iron 8.4mg	0%
Potassium 1927.5mg	0%

*The % Daily Value tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Source of Calories

Fat: 53.1%

Protein: 8.8%

Carbs: 38.1%