Southwestern Quinoa Salad

A flavorful and healthy southwestern 

quinoa salad with roasted sweet 

potatoes, black beans, and avocado.

Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed and drained
1 large sweet potato, chopped into bite-size chunks
1 red or orange bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup thawed frozen corn
1/4 cup minced red onion
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
1 avocado, chopped
1/4 cup + 1/2 Tablespoon olive oil
juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4– 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
pinch of cumin
ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 sea salt + more to taste

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400°F.

Toss sweet potato chunks with 1/2 Tablespoon of olive oil, season to taste with salt and pepper, and arrange evenly on a baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven until the sweet potatoes are tender, about 25-30 minutes. Allow sweet potato chunks to cool.

Meanwhile, cook the quinoa according to package instructions. Allow quinoa to cool.

In a large mixing bowl combine quinoa, roasted sweet potatoes, bell pepper, black beans, shallot, cilantro and avocado. Add 1/4 cup olive oil, lime juice, chili powder, cayenne, cumin, black pepper and sea salt. Gently toss the salad to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. Serve salad right away or chill in the fridge a few hours before serving. 

Add a sprinkle of queso fresco or feta cheese when serving, if desired.