It’s been WAY too long since I did a salad post. But let me tell you, this one is worth the wait. I have been eating rather unhealthy lately, but in my defense I’ve traveled a lot and it’s all about portion control really. But in an effort to clean up my act a bit, I am so excited to highlight this Black Bean Quinoa Salad with Chipotle Steak from Cooking Light.
I’d had my eye on this recipe for a while but kept forgetting to make it. So after Halloween when we tend to indulge (I’m looking at you, Peanut Butter Monster Cookies!), it made sense to go a little healthier. Plus I’ve really come to love mixing quinoa with lettuce or spinach as it extends the quinoa more and adds some substance to the quinoa. In this case it was baby spinach. In addition I added red bell peppers, black beans, cilantro, and green onions to the salad.
The vinaigrette was pretty simple. Just combine olive oil, red wine vinegar, fresh orange juice, salt, cumin and some adobo sauce. For the adobo sauce, it’s just from a can of chipotle chiles in adobo sauce. Save the chiles in the fridge for a spicy dish…God they smelled so good!
Now if you’re not a big red meat fan, I’m sure chicken would be a lovely substitute. But for me, it’s such a treat to have some steak and it was a big reason I settled on this dish this week. I loved the rub, which was a combo of olive oil, salt, pepper, and chipotle chili powder. However any leftover steak you have on hand would be great.
Sometimes I wonder how salads will eat leftover. One great thing is that with quinoa being the base, you know it won’t wilt like a traditional lettuce salad. I can attest that the leftover salad was fabulous. I kept the quinoa mixture separate from the leftover steak, and when it was time to eat, I just heated the steak for about 20-30 seconds just to warm it through a bit, then put the salad together and enjoyed.
This salad made me happy. The light vinaigrette and the quinoa and veggies were filling but not heavy. Then the steak and avocado on the top added great flavor and texture. So next time you’re craving a salad you can get excited to eat, definitely grab this recipe.
Click here for the recipe and step by step instructions.
A look back:
One year ago: Pumpkin Bread Slimmed Down
Two years ago: Fried Rice – Quinoa Style!
Three years ago: Crazy Good Soup…
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