Superfood Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette combines ultra-healthy and flavorful ingredients like quinoa, pomegranate, citrus, avocado and beans, in a light-yet-filling meal, that’s bursting with satisfying flavors and textures.
Eat by itself, or topped with shrimp or grilled chicken.
Superfood Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
Serves 5
Ingredients:
1/2 cup dry quinoa
1/3 cup red onion, chopped
1 orange, peeled and segments chopped
1 avocado, chopped
1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup pomegranate arils (about 1 pomegranate worth)
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
salt & pepper
For the Lemon Vinaigrette:
2 lemons, juiced (need 1/4 cup juice)
2 garlic cloves, microplaned or finely minced
dash of sweetener (agave nectar, stevia or white sugar)
salt & pepper
6 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Directions:
- Cook quinoa according to package directions. Set aside to cool.
- For the Lemon Vinaigrette: combine all ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid, and shake to combine. Or, add lemon juice, garlic, sweetener, salt and pepper into a small bowl and whisk in oil.
- Combine cooled quinoa with red onion, orange segments, avocado, beans, pomegranate arils, corn, cilantro, salt and pepper. Pour Lemon Vinaigrette over the salad and stir to combine. Serve cold or at room temperature.
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Only caught the very end of the Channel 8 news segment. Please tell me more about preparing the shrimp for this recipe.
I tossed peeled & de-veined shrimp them with a little of the Lemon Vinaigrette, salt, and pepper, then sauteed them for about 2 minutes a side in a hot skillet.
Wonderful recipe! Do you have the nutritional value per serving?
This is right up my alley – pinned it to make sure I won’t forget to try it out. Caught the tail end of your segment this morning so made sure to look up the recipe.
Great job.
Thank you Lisa!
Looks awesome!!! Do u have a calorie count per serving on this?
I actually don’t – let me work on it though!
According to the recipe calculator on Spark People, this is about 356 calories per serving.
Total Fat: 19.7g, Sodium: 4.2mg, Dietary Fiber: 7.5g, Sugars: 11g, Protein 7.7g
Do you know the carb count on this? I’m trying to figure out the points for weight watchers. This salad looks amazing!
If you have e-tools on WW, just put it into the recipe builder and it will tell you how many points plus!
Nikki, how big is a serving?
thanks, ilona
this looks amazing, can’t wait to try it!
I am new to cooking quinoa, and bought it from the bulk section, so there are no package directions! How can I best cook qunioa?
Typically similar to making rice on the stove top- rinse quinoa until water becomes clear, then use a 2:1 ratio of water to quinoa. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer until all water is absorbed, usually 15-20 min
Usually it’s a 2-1 ratio of water to quinoa. Bring the quinoa and water up to a boil, put a lid on top, lower the heat to a simmer and cook until all the water is absorbed and the quinoa is puffed and fluffy – about 10-15 minutes. Just make sure to rinse your quinoa under water before you cook it, otherwise it can have kind of a bitter taste!
I swear I make the best quinoa,,I really do. Have it down to a science. Using a cup of quinoa (make sure you buy it prerinsed because rinsing quinoa is a pain) put the cup of quinoa in a pot and turn on high heat shaking pot for 1 minute to “toast” the quinoa. Then add 2 cups of water to your 1 cup of quinoa. As soon as it starts boiling you can do one of two things:
1) Cover and reduce to simmer and then proceed with below steps
or
2) Get creative and add garlic cloves,,chicken or vegetable bullion,,diced habanero or jalapeño peppers if you like spicy,,etc.) to boiling water
So now that you’ve decided on plain quinoa or have gotten creative,,like I said as soon as it starts to boil,,immediately cover and reduce to a rolling simmer. Cook for 15 minutes exactly. I promise. Then after 15 minutes,,remove from heat while quinoa is still covered and let sit off of the heat covered for 10 more minutes. After 10 minutes of sitting covered,,remove lid and fluff with fork. Voila! Perfect quinoa for snacking or using in recipes. Enjoy!!
Kristen, this looks AMAZING! I cannot wait to make this at home! Thanks for yet another great recipe!
Great job!! I’ve watched the last few videos you have done and I think this was your best yet
I can’t wait to try this recipe too!
you should partner up with Daily Garnish blog. She has a website called recipage. It allows all bloggers to add their recipes. I think its http://www.recipage.com. Anyway i find most recipes there I just happen to stumble upon you on pinterest
I actually started using Recipage a couple months ago – I LOVE it! If you click on “recipes” in the main header, you can see it!
YAY!
This looks amazing! Adore quinoa in my salads.
LOVE quinoa! I’ll be making this with chicken as my husband is allergic to seafood. Thanks for nother great recipie.
Yum!! This looks great – definitely pinning it
I watched the news segment. You’re so cute! And you did a great job – way to go!
Kristin- Love your blog. I’ve been reading for about a year:) I made this tonight and it was fan-friggin-tastic. All of the flavors blend perfectly with each other. So filling, satisfying and not at all heavy! My tough critic boyfriend loved it too. Excellent job.
I made this salad yesterday for my hubby and I. It was AMAZINGLY tasty. I loved the flavor combinations. We marinated the shrimp in a little of the leftover lemon viniagrette. I’m actually eating some of the leftovers for lunch and it’s better after being refrigerated overnight! Thank You for this GREAT salad. (who knew I would like pomegranate?)
Made this salad last night and divided into individual portions for lunch all this week – very impressed with this salad! I swapped out the corn for edamame because it was in my freezer, plus added a spare red pepper I had around.
I think this will become a staple for many lunches to come, thanks!
Just found your blog and LOVE it! This looks incredible!!! I had to link it to my blog
http://www.emloves.com/2012/01/must-make-mondays-cry-baby.html
Keep up the great work!
Is there anything you would recommend substituting for the Avocado? Or just leave it out?? (I have a severe allergy to it). It sounds delicious!
Also, do you have this recipe for just 1 or 2 servings?
You can definitely leave it out! Also, this recipe serves 5.
I can’t wait to try this!
I posted about in on my blog
This looks so good! Can’t wait to try it!
Found this recipe on Pinterest. Can’t wi to make looks so good & seems really healthy…. Thank you!
I made this salad tonight! For the first time, my husband liked something more than I did and I didn’t think he’d like it. While I enjoyed the salad, the combo of the oranges and pomegranate seeds made it a bit too citrusy for me. I bought the seeds from Jewel — they have a best by date of 1.24 which is tomorrow yet they tasted as if they weren’t too fresh. I think next time I’ll just bite the bullet and buy them from TJ’s instead and not put as much as I did this time. I am excited to see how the “leftovers” taste.
As said earlier, having this for leftovers made a huge difference! It wasn’t so citrusy this time =)
I made this recipe tonight, and it was AMAZING! Loved it. I also added a chopped up and softened sweet potato (just because I love them so) and served the whole thing on a bed of spinach and topped with the shrimp. I will definitely make this again and can’t wait for lunch tomorrow!
I just found your blog and have become a huge fan! I grew up in Seattle, and then up and down the West Coast but now live in Iowa City for school. Enjoying the midwest and your blog!
[...] directed me to Iowa Girl Eats, a blog I had never visited before but will definitely be returning to. Why, do you ask? Well, this [...]
[...] tonight was scrumptious. I tried a recipe titled Superfood Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette, and it blew my socks off. My boyfriend’s socks are off as well. It’s from a super cool [...]
WOW. This was amazing, Kristin, thank you SO MUCH for sharing this recipe. I blogged about the process in pictures here: http://sweatlikemambo.com/2012/01/26/superfood-salad-yes-please/ But really, my boyfriend and I thoroughly enjoyed the superfood salad. I’m totally looking forward to more of your recipes!! THANKS THANKS THANKS!
Saw this on Pinterest and made it last night with a few adjustments… YUM. Good work! Can’t wait to have it again for lunch. And, can’t believe you are from Iowa, my husb is from Iowa and we can barely find a salad there, much less a SUPERFOODS salad!
[...] foods when I come home broken (and broke). The below recipe from seriously entertaining blogger Iowa Girl Eats looks like it will fit the bill [...]
[...] bite of the moment: superfood salad. quinoa, avocado + beans. oh [...]
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I had this earlier in the week and it was so yummy that I had to blog about it today. All of your recipes are amazing, and so is your photography. I can’t wait to read more!
Hi Iowa Girl,
Is there anything you would suggest to replace the pomegranate with? I think they’re out of season so my local grocery store doesn’t have them often!
Thanks!
Nhu
They actually are in season right now but you could use dried cherries or cranberries, or leave them out!
My local store didn’t have pomegranate either, so I cut strawberries in small pieces, and it tastes terrific!
Just wish I had shrimp to add on top! Thanks!
Hello,
Im actually going to make this for the Super Bowl tommorow. im excited and can’t wait. I also looked for pomergantets tonight but the local store didnt carry them. This just mean i need to make it again.
Just made this tonight – what a wonderful salad! Thanks for sharing!
Awesome salad! We used mandarin oranges just to be easy. They probably made it a little too sweet, so I’d either use regular oranges or back off of the sugar in the dressing. Really great dish!
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Thank you for this recipe. Looks great. I can’t wait to try it!
Made this for dinner after seeing the recipe on Pintrest and it was DELISH! Thanks for sharing.
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Wow, I tried this tonight and it was amazing. Looking forward to leftovers tomorrow.
[...] Quinoa, pomegranate, citrus, avocado & beans with lemon vinaigrette dressing [...]
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I saw this recipe on Pinterest. It is officially my new favorite meal! Thanks for sharing.
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Holy moly! This was delicious! Both my fiancee and I were fans! So glad I found your website…thanks pinterest!!!
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Just made this for my boyfriend and he was totally impressed!! I added seared ahi and grilled shrimp, absolutly delicious!! I can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
For years my sister has brought a salad similar to this to potlucks and barbeques. It was always a hit. But none of us ever considered using quinoa instead of rice. Thanks so much for the inspiration!
[...] was a huge hit! This salad is packed full of protein and super foods! The original recipe is from Iowa Girl Eats and it is delicious! I edited the pomegranate arils as pomegranates are out of season and I added [...]
Made this last night and it’s ridiculously good! I’ll have it for lunch the rest of the week topped with blackened chicken.