Skinny Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Salad is gluten free, dairy free, vegan and great to make ahead-of-time, chill and add avocado when ready to serve! One dish simple healthy recipe in as little as 30 minutes!
Growing up in the 80's and 90's Quinoa was a foreign term that was never even heard of in our home. So it definitely was not a part of our daily diet. Especially with an Italian heritage it was all pasta for carbohydrates in our meals! Dear Pasta, you are delicious, but I have a new relationship with my new love, Quinoa. Did you know Quinoa is the super grain of the future?! It is one of the most protein-rich foods we can eat containing all nine essential amino acids. It has twice as much fiber as most other grains and is packed with minerals including iron, lysine, magnesium, Riboflavin (B2) and maganese. Consuming foods with B2 improves energy metabolism within brain and muscle cells and is known to aid to create proper energy production in cells, therefore fulling our bodies for longer periods of time. Are you sold on this amazing powerhouse food?
One of the most delicious ways to eat Quinoa is combined with slow roasted vegetables sweetened to perfection and fresh leaves of spinach for healthy vegetarian dish. When vegetables are roasted it brings out their natural sweetness, leaving less need for salt. This Skinny Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Salad is then topped with a light olive oil dressing. Feel free to add goat cheese for added flavor flare!
Skinny Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry quinoa
- 2 cups water
- 1 can black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 red pepper
- 1 green pepper
- 1 yellow pepper
- ½ purple onion
- 3 garlic cloves whole
- 1½ cups cherry tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup olive oil
- Juice from 2 limes
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 avocado chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach
Instructions
- Preheat the oven 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place whole peppers, tomatoes, garlic and onion on baking sheet. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and toss to coat. Cover lightly with aluminum foil. Bake 20 minutes. Remove and let cool before slicing.
- While vegetables are baking, bring quinoa and water to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until quinoa is tender and water has been absorbed, 10 to 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork and set aside to cool.
- In a large bowl whisk together olive oil, lime juice, cumin, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and black pepper. Once roasted vegetables have cooled, dice up into small pieces and mince the garlic then add all the chopped vegetables to a large bowl. Add cooked quinoa, black beans and spinach and combine together. Pour dressing over quinoa mixture; toss to coat. Stir in cilantro and avocado; season with more salt and black pepper to taste.
- Serve immediately or chill in the refrigerator.
Skinny Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Salad Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 Recipe total Servings 4
Calories 562 Total Fat 9.83 g Saturated Fat 1.57g Monosaturated Fat 5.57g Polysaturated Fat 2.7g Total Carbohydrate 92.9 g Fiber 19.1 g Sugar 4.2 g Protein 27.2 g Calcium 180 mg Iron 7.07 mg Potassium 1821 mg Sodium 322 mg Zinc 4.9 mg Thiamin 1.03 mg Riboflavin 0.35 mg Niacin 2.98 mg Vitamin B6 0.71 mg Vitamin C 29.7 mg Vitamin A 743 IU Vitamin E 2.54 mg Vitamin K 13.6 Ug
Points 11 Points Plus 14
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