Happy Saturday, friends!
It is a HOT weekend here! Yesterday, it was 104 degrees and you could almost cut the humidity in the air. Call me crazy, but I love the hot weather!
Since it is so hot, I thought I would share a recipe that I just posted on my friend Lindsay’s blog, The Lean Green Bean. She asked me to guest post for her while she was living it up in Hawaii!!! 
She is back now, so head over to her site and welcome her home!! We met at Blend, and have been friends since. She lives close by, so we are hoping for a meet-up here soon!
Anywho, I love cold and filling salads in the summertime, because they are quick and they don’t heat up your house! Plus, they are a great thing to make in advance and just pull out whenever they are needed, or take them to a picnic or get together!
Hope you guys enjoy!!
Confetti Quinoa Salad
- 1 cups quinoa, toasted
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 cup fresh or frozen corn
- 1 bell pepper, diced
- 1 can black beans rinsed and drained
- 3 big handfuls spinach
- ½ pint grape tomatoes, halved
- 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
- Sesame oil to drizzle
- A large avocado diced for garnish
- Sea salt to top
Slightly toast your quinoa in a pan for just a few minutes. Just make sure you don’t let it burn!
Meanwhile, bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Add in quinoa, reduce heat to low and let it simmer for 15 minutes or until you see the curly string separate from the quinoa. Drain.
While the quinoa is cooking, spray a plan with cooking spray or add 1 Tbsp of olive oil to the pan. Cook the onions until they are starting to soften 7-8 minutes. Then, add in corn. Cook just until corn is heated through.
Next, add in bell pepper, black beans, and cooked quinoa. Stir and allow this to heat through.
If you want to use sesame oil, which I HIGHLY recommend, you will drizzle about ½ a tablespoon over this and mix well. Then you will add in your cilantro and spinach and stir.
Finally, you are going to remove from heat and add in your grape tomatoes.
Garnish with avocado and sea salt and serve!
This is super quick and easy, plus it can be paired with fish or chicken for the meat lovers in your house! I’m sure you could use another grain if you can’t find quinoa in your area.
I hope you all stay cool and drink plenty of water this weekend!!
What are your weekend plans?
Do you like hot weather?
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