Avocado Quinoa Power Salad Recipe | RecipesCooker

Quinoa has to be cold before the avocado goes in. That's the whole trick here. Warm quinoa steams the spinach and turns the avocado soft, and you end up with a bowl of green mush instead of a salad.

So you cook the quinoa, spread it out, and chill it for 20 minutes. Then everything else goes in at once: chopped spinach, diced cucumber, roma tomatoes, and two ripe avocados. The dressing is just lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

This makes six servings and it's built to sit in the fridge. Cook the quinoa the night before and the whole thing comes together in ten minutes.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Boil the water

Bring 2 cups of water and a pinch of salt to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat.

2. Simmer the quinoa

Add the rinsed quinoa, cover, and turn the heat down to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes, until the water is absorbed. You'll see little white spiral threads on the grains when it's done.

3. Cool and fluff

Scrape the quinoa into a medium bowl and let it come to room temperature. Then fluff it with a fork.

4. Chill it

Put the quinoa in the fridge for 20 minutes. It needs to be cold before the avocado touches it.

5. Add the vegetables

Add the spinach, cucumber, tomatoes, and avocado to the bowl and mix to combine.

6. Dress it

Pour in the lemon juice and olive oil, then season with salt and pepper. Mix well and taste. Add more salt or lemon if it needs a lift.

How to Store Avocado Quinoa Power Salad

Delicious Variations

Roasted chickpeas

toss a drained can of chickpeas with oil and salt, roast at 375°F (190°C) for 8 minutes, and scatter them on top for crunch and extra protein.

Red onion

fold in 1/3 cup (about 50 g) diced red onion for bite. Soak it in cold water for five minutes first to take the harsh edge off.

Balsamic and cumin

swap half the lemon for a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and add a sprinkle of cumin for a deeper, warmer flavor.

Spicy

a pinch of cayenne in the dressing works well if you like heat.

Frequently Asked Questions

Cook the quinoa tonight, chill it, and you've got lunch sorted for three days. Cook it once, cook it right.

Avocado Quinoa Power Salad Recipe

Cooled quinoa tossed with spinach, cucumber, roma tomatoes, and diced avocado in a lemon and olive oil dressing. Makes six servings and holds up in the fridge.

15 minPrep time30 minCook time45 minTotal6Servings

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Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• salt (to taste)
• 1 cup quinoa (rinsed)
• 2 cups fresh spinach (roughly chopped)
• 1 large cucumber (diced)
• 4 roma tomatoes (diced)
• 2 ripe avocados (pits removed and diced)
• 1 lemon (juiced)
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• pepper (to taste)

Instructions

1. 1Boil the water — Bring 2 cups of water and a pinch of salt to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat.
2. 2Simmer the quinoa — Add the rinsed quinoa, cover, and turn the heat down to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes, until the water is absorbed. You'll see little white spiral threads on the grains when it's done.
3. 3Cool and fluff — Scrape the quinoa into a medium bowl and let it come to room temperature. Then fluff it with a fork.
4. 4Chill it — Put the quinoa in the fridge for 20 minutes. It needs to be cold before the avocado touches it.
5. 5Add the vegetables — Add the spinach, cucumber, tomatoes, and avocado to the bowl and mix to combine.
6. 6Dress it — Pour in the lemon juice and olive oil, then season with salt and pepper. Mix well and taste. Add more salt or lemon if it needs a lift.

Chef's Note: Rinse the quinoa before cooking. Skip that step and the whole salad tastes bitter, no matter how good the dressing is.

Servings: 6

Cuisine: American

Course: Salad

RecipesCooker15 minutes30 minutes45 minutes

Written by Darnell Okafor
Darnell covers air fryer recipes and slow cook meals, with a steady side of eggs and breakfast casseroles for people cooking on a tight schedule. He writes in a blunt, test-it-again voice and flags the mistakes that ruin texture, from soggy fries to rubbery eggs. Every post gives timings, temperatures, and a fallback if your machine runs hot.