This Southwest Quinoa Salad with Pickled Jalapeno Tahini Dressing is flavor overload! Quinoa, fresh tomatoes, avocado, cilantro, and cotija cheese top a bed of greens and is drizzled with a spicy and tangy pickled jalapeno tahini dressing.
Lunchtime With A Kick
This salad is the exact thing I make when I’m craving something lean but satisfying and spicy but flavorful. It’s a complete meal filled with protein, fresh vegetables, and other wholesome ingredients. The dressing is one that I return to again and again – it’s so incredible.
Read on to learn more about this amazingly delicious Southwest Quinoa Salad with Pickled Jalapeno Tahini Dressing!
How to Make This Southwest Quinoa Salad
This tasty salad features quintessential southwestern ingredients that when combined, offer major flavor:
- Black beans. A staple in Southwestern cuisine and packed with protein, these legumes are the perfect filling addition.
- Quinoa. Also packed with protein, this superfood s technically a seed, though it’s used as a grain.
- Fresh Vegetables. You can choose your favorites, but I love adding crunchy red pepper and juicy cherry tomatoes.
- Cilantro. A non-negotiable in Southwestern cuisine!
- Avocado. Can’t live without it. It adds a creaminess that cools the spicy dressing.
- Cotija Cheese, Known as the “Mexican version of parmesan”, this cheese is salty and somewhat crunchy.
Pickled Jalapeño Tahini Dressing
Oh boy…this dressing. It’s creamy, savory, tangy, and spicy. It features an unlikely combination of ingredients that when combined? MAGIC!
Pickled jalapeno brine is combined with creamy tahini, which is sesame seed paste. Tahini is commonly used in Mediterranean cooking (it contributes to hummus’ creaminess), but it works beautifully in salad dressings, too! This recipe also includes cumin which offers nice smokiness as well.
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Southwest Quinoa Salad with Pickled Jalapeño Tahini Dressing
Ingredients
- 2 cups romaine lettuce
- 1/4 cup cooked quinoa
- 1/4 cup black beans
- 1/4 cup tomatoes, sliced
- 1/4 cup avocado, sliced
- 2 Tbsp red pepper, chopped
- 2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
- 2 Tbsp Pickled Jalapenos
- 1 Tbsp cotija cheese
For the Pickled Jalapeno Tahini Dressing:
- 1 Tbsp tahini
- 1 Tbsp pickled jalapeno brine
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- Pinch salt
- Warm water
Instructions
- Add all ingredients for the salad to a large bowl.
- Add ingredients for the dressing to a small glass jar. Add 1 teaspoon of warm water: this will help dissolve the tahini. Shake vigorously to combine. Add more warm water if you want the dressing a little thinner, adding just 1 teaspoon at a time.
- Drizzle over the salad and toss combine!
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