A simple avocado quinoa salad with crunchy cucumbers and juicy tomatoes. It's light, refreshing and simple to make, and is perfect for a summertime picnic!
Last week might have just been one of the best mail weeks ever. Why? I was randomly shipped an entire box of avocados, which if you've been following for a while, you know is my absolute favorite thing in the entire world.
But what do you do with 8 avocados that all go ripe at the same time!?
For one, you make avocado toast on the reg. Number two, you make guac on the reg. Number three, you make avocado mousse in a bunch of yummy flavors (recipes coming soon). Number four, you make raw zucchini noodles with avocado pesto (also coming soon!). And number five, you make avocado quinoa salad with tomatoes and cucumbers.
Eight avocados = done.
Funny story, this salad was actually inspired by a video I saw on Facebook. You know all those Tasty videos that BuzzFeed is putting out that seem to have taken over everyone's news feeds? Well usually those recipes don't appeal to me AT ALL because they're either filled with cheese, deep fried, or use wayyy to much sugar.
But when I saw this fresh, bright salad that used only a few ingredients (one of which was avocado and I had five more that needed to be used up), I decided to remake it with my own quinoa spin.
I actually kept to the recipe pretty closely, just changed up some proportions and added in my quinoa. At first I was a little underwhelmed by the flavor, but I decided to let it sit in the fridge for 30 minutes and give it another try and oh boy! That's when the flavors really popped!
You only need a few simple ingredients, the dressing is just a blend of lemon and olive oil and you toss it all together and you're done. One of those meals that comes together in a flash and makes for awesome lunch leftovers the next day!
And since this salad gets better as it sits, it's the perfect dish to bring to a summer BBQ or out on a picnic. I know that when I'm up in Maine for the 4th of July, I'll definitely be bringing this salad to the beach!
Your turn…
What is your favorite way to use avocado? And what do you do when you have multiple ones go ripe at the same time? Share your faves in the comments below!
xo Alyssa
More Simply and Healthy Salad Recipes to try:
- “Caprese” Quinoa Salad
- Farmer’s Market Quinoa Salad
- Lemon Herb Quinoa with Toasted Hazelnuts
- Herbed Spring Quinoa Salad
- Vegan Chopped Salad with Spiced Chickpeas
Cucumber, Tomato + Avocado Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups chopped english cucumber seedless is best
- 2 cups chopped tomatoes
- 2 large avocados diced
- 1 cup sliced red onion
- 2 cups cooked quinoa
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro or herb(s of choice)
- Juice of 1 lemon
- A drizzle of olive oil I used about a tablespoon
- Salt + pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine the cucumber, tomato, avocados, onion, quinoa and cilantro. Toss to combine.
- Squeeze lemon juice over salad, drizzle with olive and season with salt and pepper, and give it another toss.
- Place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to let the flavors marinate. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
Notes
Nutrition
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