This simple, vibrant quinoa salad is designed for clean eating, offering maximum flavor while supporting your heart health and weight goals. It is a powerful plant-forward choice, delivering fiber from the whole-grain quinoa and lean protein from the black beans. It's easy to see why it's a favorite for meal preppers and busy home cooks.
Whether you're looking to manage cholesterol or seeking a satisfying, low-calorie meal (just 146 calories per serving), this recipe delivers. Its delicious flavor comes from fresh lime juice, cilantro, and warm spices, not added fat or sodium.
Enjoy this salad warm immediately after cooking, or chill it for a bright, refreshing dish that holds up perfectly for lunch throughout the week.
This recipe is a cornerstone of a heart-healthy diet, largely due to its high fiber and complex carbohydrate content, which helps manage blood sugar and cholesterol. The combination of whole-grain quinoa and black beans offers sustained energy and a satisfying, plant-forward source of protein.
Yes, quinoa salad is excellent for high cholesterol. It is rich in soluble fiber (6g per serving) from the quinoa and black beans, which helps bind cholesterol in the digestive system and lower overall levels.
This recipe is very low in calories, containing just 146 calories per serving. This makes it a great option for supporting healthy weight loss and calorie control goals.
To prevent a bitter taste, ensure you thoroughly rinse the raw quinoa before cooking to remove the natural saponin coating. Also, use a low-sodium broth instead of water for cooking to infuse flavor.
The "Three Sisters" traditionally refers to corn, beans, and squash: three main agricultural crops of Native American groups. While this salad contains two of those (corn and black beans), it replaces squash with the whole grain, quinoa, for a modern, high-protein take.
These hearty bowls, made with whole grains and lean proteins, are seasoned with herbs and spices for tasty, filling meals.
These satisfying salads are perfect for pairing with your main course, or as a light meal in themselves.
Recipe yields 8 servings
Preheat oven to 350°. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add the peppers, scallions and chili powder; cook 5 minutes. Stir in beans and 2 tablespoons of the lime juice; cook 1 more minute. Remove from heat.
In a medium bowl, combine cooked quinoa, black bean mixture, remaining 1 tablespoon lime juice, corn, cumin, cilantro, black pepper and salt. Serve warm.
While the recipe calls for briefly sautéing the vegetables, you can adapt the preparation based on the temperature you prefer to serve the salad:
You can easily change up this versatile recipe with any of these flavor profiles:
This salad is highly versatile and works well as a side dish, a light lunch, or a vegetarian main meal.
You can substitute equal amounts of rinsed and drained kidney beans, pinto beans, or chickpeas. All are excellent sources of fiber and protein that maintain the heart-healthy profile.
For an even lighter flavor, you can replace the olive oil used in the dressing with a heart-healthy grapeseed oil or simply use extra lime juice to provide moisture.
Canned low-sodium corn is used here, but frozen, thawed corn or fresh, grilled corn kernels make excellent alternatives.
If you prefer a stronger flavor, substitute the scallions with two tablespoons of finely minced red onion or shallots.