Quinoa salads are my jam! I’m huge on texture when it comes to foods, so I love combining all sorts of ingredients into one dish. Plus, it’s an all-in-one meal that take less than 30 minutes to whip up.
When I find a new type of food or ingredient I love, I tend to go a little crazy with it! I’ve already been on a quinoa kick and an avocado kick in the the past couple years. A month or so ago I discovered quinoa salads and I’ve been trying a new version pretty much every week.
When I was on my avocado craze last year, Andrew and I came up with an Avocado Vegenaise Sauce. It’s a healthy, easy to whip up sauce that can be used as a spread for burgers or sandwiches, a topping for fish, or even a salad dressing. I used this sauce as the dressing for this quinoa salad.
All-in-one meals like this have really come in handy for me lately! I’ve been relying on them as well as crock pot meals during the crazy few weeks I’ve had lately.
Summer can be a busy time for all of us, so dinners like this make it easier to cook no matter what your schedule looks like. This nice thing about this salad is that it tastes best cold. So you can make it in the morning or even put a big batch together one night and eat the leftovers for a few days.
Avocado Lime Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
For the dressing:
- 1/2 ripe avocado
- 2 tbsp vegenaise
- 1/2 fresh lime juice
- Pepper to taste
- Salt to taste
- Onion Powder to taste
For the salad:
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 tbsp oil, I used coconut
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed (season with salt and pepper)
- 1 head romaine lettuce, shredded
- 1 medium tomato, diced
- 1/2 cup bacon bits
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl and mix until creamy. Cover and place in the refrigerator until you are ready for it.
- Cook the quinoa according to the directions on the package.
- In the meantime, heat the oil in a large skillet on high. Brown the chicken for 2 minutes on each side, lower the heat to medium and cook for 5-7 minutes or until cooked thoroughly.
- In a large bowl combine the cooked quinoa, chicken, lettuce, tomato and bacon bits. Mix to combine. Drizzle the avocado lime dressing and mix until the salad is well coated.
- Serve immediately or refrigerate and serve cold.
What’s your go-to meal for a busy night?
Paige Allison says
I’m with you on the quinoa! I could eat it nearly everyday because there are so many great ways to fix it up. This looks amazing! This baby in my belly has decided that vegetarian food is the way to go, but occasional bacon and beef is ok too. I might omit the chicken and give this a try tonight!
Jenna Brussee says
I never get tired of quinoa! If you tried this one, let me know what you thought of it. It would be pretty good without chicken for Meatless Monday!
Jaelan @ Making Mrs. M says
That salad looks really good.
I tried to make quinoa, but it turned out slimy. :-/ I need to revisit it because it is so versatile! It’s in everything.
Jenna Brussee says
It’s definitely worth giving another shot! I usually prepare it according to the directions on the package, but I always mix in all sorts of yummy things. It’s more of a way to add texture for me.
Rebekah Stark says
this sounds silly, but i’ve never added quinoa with lettuce. i can’t wait to try it!!
Jenna Brussee says
It’s a new obsession for me! I’m generally not a huge salad person unless there are tons of toppings on it. I love this because the quinoa adds a lot of texture and makes the salad more filling, too.
Amanda Elizabeth says
I am obsessed with quinoa, it seriously goes with everything! Loving this recipe!
Jenna Brussee says
Me too! One thing I’ve been meaning to try is baking with it. I’ve seen some awesome bread and cookie recipes.
Nina B says
I love this. It follow my current/future food as medicine approach!
Jenna Brussee says
That’s great! You should definitely give this recipe a try. It’s one of those recipes that makes you feel good when you eat it.
Ashley T says
This recipe looks right up my alley! YUM!
Jenna Brussee says
It’s soooo good! I have been making quinoa salads all the time lately. This is one of my favorites!
Miranda @ Miranda Writes says
I’ve never tried veganaise before, but I’ve always been curious about it. I see it at the store all the time. Is there a huge taste difference?
Jenna Brussee says
I don’t really notice a huge taste difference. In this recipe you definitely wouldn’t notice it, but maybe if you spread it on a sandwich it would be a bit different. I like it better, though!
Cristina says
Ugh, I can never get quinoa right! It always comes out flavourless, but I never thought to mix it with avocados….. I’ll have to try this, it just looks so summery and refreshing and avocados are the beeest
Jenna Brussee says
I love quinoa! I never eat it plain, but always mix in lots of goodness like this. If you still think it needs more flavor, try cooking it with chicken broth instead of water. It adds sooo much!
Jenna Brussee says
Thanks, Danielle! This salad is great to pack for lunch. It could last several days and tastes best cold.
Julie @ HostessAtHeart says
I love avocado and this salad looks delicious!
Jenna Brussee says
Thanks, Julie! I am a huge avocado fan, too. I use them in almost everything!
Sarah says
Yum! This sounds great. I love bacon in anything! Thanks for linking up to the Blogger Brags pinterest party. I have pinned your post to the Blogger Brags pinterest board.
Jenna Brussee says
Thanks, Sarah! Bacon is one of my favorite ingredients, too.