Southwestern Avocado Quinoa Mason Jar Salad

Lately I’ve been exploring making my own salad dressing versus buying them from the store. In researching dressing I came across some awesome recipes that were the inspiration for my newest recipe:

Southwestern Avocado Quinoa Mason Jar Salad

This mason jar salad recipe has ingredients that are great for the body, including the Superfood quinoa, and takes about 30 minutes or less from start to finish for meal prep.

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One of the main ingredients is the Superfood quinoa. What exactly is quinoa and why should you use it? Quinoa is a grain and in my opinion has a similar texture to rice. I love quinoa because you can boil it for about 15 minutes and BAM you have an instant healthy base for any meal.

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Here are 4 amazing benefits of quinoa (Source: Mind Body Green):

1. One of the most protein-rich foods we can eat. It is a complete protein containing all nine essential amino acids.

2. Contains almost twice as much fiber as most other grains. Fiber is most widely known to relieve constipation and helps to prevent heart disease by reducing high blood pressure and diabetes. Additionally, it may help you to lose weight as it takes a longer time to chew than does other foods because it makes you feel fuller for longer and is less “energy dense” which means it has fewer calories for the same volume of food.

3. Packed with Iron. Iron helps keep our red blood cells healthy and is the basis of hemoglobin formation.

4. Contains lysine which is essential for tissue growth and repair.

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Makes about 3 mason jar servings*

Salad Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa (rinse before cooking)
2 cups red cabbage
1 can black beans (drained)
3 cups kale
1 can corn (drained)
1 cup cherry tomatoes (sliced in half)

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Avocado Cilantro Dressing (Adapted from one of favorites – Pinch of Yum):

Half an avocado
¼ cup unsweetened non-dairy “yogurt” (I used So Delicious)
½ cup water
1 cup cilantro leaves and stems
1 small clove of garlic
½ teaspoon salt
A squeeze of lime juice

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Instructions:

Step 1: In a small pan, combine 1 cup rinsed quinoa and 1 cup water. Be sure to bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook uncovered for 15 minutes, until all of the water has absorbed. Remove the pot from the heat, lightly season it to taste (salt and pepper), cover with a lid and allow to steam for 5 minutes.

Step 2: As the quints is cooking, make the dressing by adding all of the ingredients to a food processor or blender and blending until smooth.

Step 3: Next, once the quinoa has cooled, divide it evenly between 3 (16 ounce) jars. Pour 1/4th the dressing into each jar and gently stir to combine. Next layer the black beans, corn, red cabbage, tomatoes and top with kale. Seal with a lid and refrigerate for up to 4 days. When you’re ready to serve, empty the salad out into a bowl and add additional kale or avocado if desired. Enjoy!