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Zucchini and Corn Taco Seasoned Quinoa Salad

[heart_this] · Sep 12, 2009 · 33 Comments

Zucchini and Corn Taco Seasoned Quinoa Salad

I was looking for something lighter and healthier and since both corn and zucchini are in season, plentiful, and on hand I wanted to use both of them. Quinoa salads never fail when light and tasty meals are on the table and I was thinking that a corn and zucchini quinoa salad would be nice. The corn got me to thinking texmex and the next thing I knew it was a corn and zucchini quinoa salad seasoned with taco spices . I feel that spices like this are best when they have had a chance to cook with the dish to release all of their flavours and mingle with the rest of the ingredients. Since this was going to be a mostly fresh salad I decided to add the taco seasoning to the quinoa while it cooked so that the quinoa would be infused with its flavours. I then finished the salad off with some more texmex style ingredients including black beans, green onions, cilantro and some cotija cheese. This quinoa salad was nice and easy to make and it turned out really well. I really liked the way the spicy taco seasoned quinoa worked with the sweet corn and raw zucchini in this salad. The beans added a nice creaminess and the cotija cheese was the perfect finish to this salad. One of the good things about salads like this is that the leftovers are just as good straight from the fridge so they make super quick snacks or light meals.

Zucchini and Corn Taco Seasoned Quinoa Salad

Zucchini and Corn Taco Seasoned Quinoa Salad

Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes Total Time: 40 minutes Servings: 2
ingredients
  • 1 cup quinoa
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 batch taco seasoning
  • 1 ear corn (grilled and kernels cut from cob)
  • 1 cup zucchini (grated)
  • 1 cup black beans
  • 1 jalapeno (sliced)
  • 1 green onion (sliced)
  • 1/4 cup cilantro (chopped)
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1 lime (juice)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup cotija (crumbled)
directions
  1. Simmer the quinoa in the water along with the taco seasoning until the water is absorbed, about 20 minutes.
  2. Mix the quinoa, corn, zucchini, black beans, jalapeno pepper, green onion and cilantro in a large bowl.
  3. Mix the oil, lime juice, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
  4. Toss the salad in the dressing and serve garnished with cotija cheese.
Similar Recipes:
Corn and Zucchini Quesadillas
Corn and Black Bean Quinoa Salad
Zucchini and Kimchi Quinoa Salad
Taco Salad
Pesto Zucchini and Corn Quinoa Salad
Taco Egg Casserole

More salad recipes!

Food, Main Course, Mexican, One-Pan, One-Pot, Quinoa, Recipe, Salad, Side Dish, Vegetarian, Whole Grains

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. VeggieGirl says

    September 12, 2009 at 1:05 am

    Mmm, mmm seasonal goodness!

    Reply
  2. Katrina says

    September 12, 2009 at 1:42 am

    That looks delicious right now!

    Reply
  3. Amy says

    September 12, 2009 at 2:02 am

    That looks really good, Kevin. I would even take it one step further and maybe wrap it all up in a tortilla.

    Reply
  4. Mary says

    September 12, 2009 at 3:04 am

    Kevin, I love the combinations you've used here. Have you done any cooking with cilantro flavored oil? I

    Reply
  5. [email protected] says

    September 12, 2009 at 3:11 am

    Looks delicious…I wonder how it would taste with barley instead of quinoa? I have some barley on hand…I'll have to try that!

    Reply
  6. nithya at hungrydesi says

    September 12, 2009 at 3:37 am

    great way to make quinoa – we've got so much good corn this summer…love it!

    Reply
  7. screwdestiny says

    September 12, 2009 at 3:53 am

    Oh man, that looks so delicious. I think I'm gonna have to try this recipe.

    Reply
  8. Dani says

    September 12, 2009 at 4:14 am

    This is such a great idea – all of your dishes are so creative and seem so yummy!! I can't wait to try this out, thanks for sharing =)

    Reply
  9. My Asian Kitchen says

    September 12, 2009 at 5:01 am

    your salad have vibrate lovely color combine!! I bet this salad must taste good!!

    Reply
  10. Jenn says

    September 12, 2009 at 6:37 am

    Another fun recipe from you. If I ever have a craving for a taco I can have it in a salad and not feel the slightest guilt and I have no idea why since I love tacos.

    Reply
  11. Cucinista says

    September 12, 2009 at 7:22 am

    A great summer salad.

    Reply
  12. GarlicBOSS says

    September 12, 2009 at 7:32 am

    Great looking salad

    Reply
  13. Rosa's Yummy Yums says

    September 12, 2009 at 8:57 am

    Beautiful, colorful and surely delicious!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    Reply
  14. Jennifer says

    September 12, 2009 at 12:34 pm

    This sounds so good. I have a difficult time getting my husband to eat quinoa, but with the taco seasoning I think I just may be able to! Thanks Kevin!

    Reply
  15. Pam says

    September 12, 2009 at 1:00 pm

    I love mexican…so pretty!

    Reply
  16. Jamie says

    September 12, 2009 at 1:15 pm

    Delicious way to flavor vegetables. Looks so good!

    Reply
  17. The Pettits says

    September 12, 2009 at 3:11 pm

    Awesome!! This post came JUST in time for my Taco-Themed House Party! WOOT WOOT!! Can't wait to try it … I will let you know if it's a hit. It's bound to be because you're the best Kevin! XOXO

    Reply
  18. Danielle says

    September 12, 2009 at 3:27 pm

    Your recipes always look amazing!! This one is just out of this world!

    Reply
  19. Bellini Valli says

    September 12, 2009 at 3:38 pm

    I wish I could find the cotija cheese here:D

    Reply
  20. Joanne says

    September 12, 2009 at 4:22 pm

    great salad Kevin! You are so good at combining flavors and using traditional themes in new ways.

    Reply
  21. Anonymous says

    September 12, 2009 at 6:50 pm

    Sounds fantastic! I do have some zucchini from my CSA to use up, and a bag of quinoa languishing in the pantry… thanks for the idea!

    Reply
  22. Cooking with Michele says

    September 12, 2009 at 8:29 pm

    I haven't eaten all day (too busY ripping out my zucchini plants – see why on my blog post today), and this has me totally drooling. If I only hadn't sworn off anymore zucchini this summer…

    Reply
  23. Shane and Kim says

    September 12, 2009 at 8:37 pm

    I just found your blog today while looking for something that wasn't fried to do with the zucchini. I loved your ideas!! Thanks for sharing.
    All your recipes look so delicious. Can't wait to try them.

    Reply
  24. teresa says

    September 13, 2009 at 12:43 am

    love love love it!

    Reply
  25. Dana says

    September 13, 2009 at 2:56 am

    I think corn and quinoa are such a great match. Great job here!

    Reply
  26. MrsD says

    September 13, 2009 at 3:53 am

    I made this tonight and my husband and i really loved it. Thanks for posting it.

    Reply
  27. Chris says

    September 13, 2009 at 2:00 pm

    I like that you grilled the corn first. IMO, that brings out the sweetness in the corn. We did that for a maque choux last night and it was awesome!

    Reply
  28. kellypea says

    September 14, 2009 at 12:20 am

    What a fabulous combo of flavors. Love the whole taco idea with the quinoa.

    Reply
  29. Peabody says

    September 14, 2009 at 4:05 am

    Awesome. The more you can do with quinoa the better, I love the stuff.

    Reply
  30. Anonymous says

    September 15, 2009 at 12:52 am

    Made this tonight and it was so good! My husband actually had thirds. Couldn't find cotija cheese so used Feta instead.

    Reply
  31. Kristin says

    September 19, 2009 at 1:55 am

    I love quinoa, the "super grain". Your salad looks amazing!! I've been doing a lot of cooking with it too! Check out my mediterranean salad here http://kristineatsmenow.blogspot.com/2009/08/mediterranean-quinoa-salad.html

    Reply
  32. Sarah says

    June 23, 2010 at 7:43 pm

    I printed this out months ago when searching for quinoa recipes and FINALLY made it last night for a salad party. It was a huge hit! And I will definitely be making this many more times. I would love to talk about it on my blog, linking to the original recipe here, if that is ok with you? Thank you for such a wonderful fresh-tasting recipe. I used 2 ears of corn and only half a jalapeno because I have an 8, 5 and 2 year old. And they LOVED it!

    Reply
  33. Elisa @ What the Vita says

    June 30, 2011 at 1:13 am

    Loved this dish – added chicken and used feta cheese instead, thanks for sharing the recipe!

    Reply

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