The Best Salad I Have Ever Made

With warmer weather coming (c'mon Spring, I really miss you) I have been craving more refreshing and lighter foods than the heavy comfort foods we have been eating.  I even busted out the Cuisinart blender to start whipping up green monsters again in the morning.  I came across Oh She Glows Long Weekend Salad and used that as my starting point.  I made my dressing (for the first time I actually created it myself - woah!) and once I stirred it all together and tasted it, I fell in love.

Refreshing Corn, Bean & Quinoa Salad

Ingredients

• 2 zucchinis - sliced length wise equal widths (does that make sense??)

• 2 bell peppers (any color) sliced in pretty big chunks
• 1 C quinoa
• 2 avocados
• 1 bag frozen corn (I used Trader Joe's fire roasted)
• 2 15 oz cans of black beans 
• 2 limes 
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1- 2 TBSP chopped cilantro
• 3 TBSP EVOO 
• dash of cayenne 
• 1/2 TBSP maple syrup

Directions

• Start cooking your quinoa in 2 C water 
• Slice zucchini & peppers 
• Throw zucchini & peppers onto either a hot grill or a grill pan - about 5-7 minutes or until they get some nice color  

• When the veggies are cool - dice them up 
• Rinse & drain black beans 
• Peel, pit & dice avocados
• In a *large* bowl - combine grilled zucchini & peppers, cooked quinoa, diced avocados, bag of corn and black beans: give it a stir

• In a small bowl - combine: the juice of 2 limes, EVOO, diced or pressed garlic cloves, chopped cilantro, a sprinkle of cayenne, and maple syrup - whisk well

• Pour dressing over salad, mix well and either serve right away or store in the fridge covered in saran wrap

I hope that you enjoy this salad as much as I did!

Peas & Love,

-L