So here we are people – HALF WAY through the year, HALF WAY through the summer, two summer holidays under our belts! Time to sllloooww down already, I still need to take salsa lessons and compete in a competition, get my YouTube channel up and running, and find time to go on the occasional date without falling asleep (wish I could say that is from being exhausted…but that is not always the case lol, I am mean, I know)! OK rant over.
So, it is HOT, not ideal to be hanging over the stove all day (although I do every day and LOVE IT) yet we still need to eat! You can only eat so many green salads, although they are refreshing, sometimes we need to switch it up! Here is a simple, clean, healthy and refreshing salad that is filling and full of protein and fiber! I mix quinoa, black beans, strawberries, red onion, cilantro, lime juice and a drizzle of sweetener, then pile the mixture high into avocado halves for the ultimate presentation!
Feel free to use your grain of choice – rice, millet, buckwheat, whatever you have on hand! Serve the mixture plopped on a bed of greens if you do not have enough avocados to fill…or do as my Dad does and eat this yummy salad as a dip with chips!
Avocado/Black Bean/Quinoa Salad 
Ingredients:
1 cup cooked quinoa (or grain of choice)
1 avocado, mashed
1/4 cup finely diced red onion
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
2 TBS lime juice
1 tsp cumin
salt & pepper to taste
2 TBS honey or agave
1 can (14 oz) drained and rinsed black beans (chickpeas work well for this too!)
3/4 cup diced strawberries
NOTE: feel free to add some more mix-ins, like mango, pineapple, or some dried apricots and chopped macadamia nuts!
Directions:
- Mix first 8 ingredients (quinoa-sweetener) together very well, mashing everything together with the back of your fork if need be.
- Stir in beans and berries, stuff into avocado halves or pile high on a bed of greens!
Click here to download a printable copy of the Avocado Black Bean Quinoa Salad Recipe
