Description
This salad is the perfect mix of sweet, savory, and spicy. This salad has no lettuce which means it keeps really well and makes it perfect for meal prep!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Roasted pumpkin seeds:
- 1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
- 1 tsp avocado oil (or other cooking oil)
- 1/4-1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
Salad Dressing:
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2-3 limes, juiced (1/4 cup)
- 1 tbsp honey
- 2 tsp dijon mustard (optional)
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 chipotle powder (or more depending on heat preference)
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
Salad:
- 1 cup dry quinoa
- 2 cups water
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 2-3 mangos, diced (depends on the size, I used 3 small ataulfo mangos and got 1 1/2 cup diced)
- 2 bell peppers, seeds removed and diced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 small red onion finely chopped (1/2 cup)
- 1 avocado, diced
- 1 jalapeno, finely chopped (seeds removed or left in for more heat)
- 1/2-1 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
Roasted pumpkin seeds:
- Preheat your oven to 350F(175C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix pumpkin seeds with avocado oil. Add sea salt, smoked paprika, and garlic powder. Mix again.
- Spread on the prepared baking sheet and roast for 8-10 minutes until slightly golden and fragrant. Set aside to cool.
Salad Dressing:
- Whisk everything together in a small bowl or a cup. Set aside.
Salad:
- To cook the quinoa, thoroughly wash it under running water. This prevents it from being bitter.
- Add it to a medium pot with 2 cups of water. Cover and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until there’s no water left and the quinoa is soft. Fluff with a fork, cover again and let rest for 10 minutes while you prep the vegetables.
- Add the quinoa to a large mixing bowl.
- Add the black beans, feta, diced mango, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, red onion, avocado, jalapeno, and cilantro. Whisk the dressing again to make sure it hasn’t separated and pour over the salad.
- Toss everything together well and serve sprinkled with the roasted pumpkin seeds.
Notes
Storing: Store in the fridge for 2-3 days in an airtight container. I stored the salad mixed with the dressing and it did well. It will release some water but there are no greens that would wilt so it can be stored dressed without a problem.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 558
- Sugar: 11.6 g
- Sodium: 851.1 mg
- Fat: 35.9 g
- Saturated Fat: 8.2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 47.5 g
- Fiber: 11.3 g
- Protein: 16.8 g
