epicurious4.3
Quinoa a la Mexicana
Crispy baked quinoa builds texture in this summer avocado, tomato, and cucumber salad, tossed with a charred, herbaceous scallion dressing.
👥 6 Servings⏱️ Prep & Cook: 1h🔥 Cook: 30 min👤 Paola Briseño-González📖 epicurious
🥘 Ingredients
Check off ingredients as you prepare them:
🍳 Cookware
- ●saucepan
- ●oven
- ●baking sheet
- ●bowl
- ●skillet
- ●blender
📝 Preparation Steps
1
Preheat oven to 375°. Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add ½ cup white, red, or tricolor quinoa, rinsed, then reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until quinoa is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, 12–⏱️ 15 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water.
2
Transfer quinoa to a baking sheet and toss with 2 Tbsp. avocado oil and ¼ tsp. Diamond Crystal kosher salt. Bake, tossing halfway through, until crispy and golden brown, 25–⏱️ 30 minutes.
. avocado oil, divided5 Tbspavocado, cut into ½" cubes1
3
Meanwhile, peel 1 large English hothouse cucumber (about 12 oz.) in alternating stripes. Cut in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds with a spoon. Slice at an angle to create long C-shaped slices. Transfer cucumber to a large bowl and toss with ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal kosher salt.
large English hothouse cucumber (about 12 oz.)1
4
Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high. Cook 2 bunches scallions (about 16 scallions/6 oz.), trimmed, cut into 1" pieces (about 2½ cups), and 1 Tbsp. avocado oil, tossing often, until charred in spots, 5–⏱️ 7 minutes. Transfer scallions to a blender.
bunches scallions (about 16 scallions/6 oz.), trimmed, cut into 1" pieces (about 2½ cups)2. avocado oil, divided5 Tbspavocado, cut into ½" cubes1
5
Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook 10 oz. Sun Gold or cherry tomatoes (about 2 cups), ¼ tsp. Diamond Crystal kosher salt, and 1 tsp. freshly ground pepper in same skillet, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes are blistered, 6–⏱️ 8 minutes. Transfer tomatoes to bowl with cucumbers.
. Sun Gold or cherry tomatoes (about 2 cups)10 oz
6
Add ¾ cup (lightly packed) cilantro leaves, juice of 1 lime (about 2 Tbsp.), remaining 2 Tbsp. avocado oil and ¼ tsp. Diamond Crystal kosher salt, and ¼ cup water to blender with scallions. Purée until smooth, 2–⏱️ 3 minutes.
lime, zested and juiced (about 1 Tbsp. zest and 2 Tbsp. juice)1. avocado oil, divided5 Tbspavocado, cut into ½" cubes1
7
Add two thirds of scallion sauce to cucumber mixture and toss to combine. Add 1 avocado, cut into ½" cubes, and gently stir to combine.
. avocado oil, divided5 Tbspavocado, cut into ½" cubes1
8
Transfer vegetables to a platter and sprinkle crispy quinoa over. Drizzle with remaining scallion sauce. Sprinkle zest of 1 lime (about 1 Tbsp.) over quinoa. Editor’s note: Baking the quinoa gives it a crispy texture, but you can skip this step and prepare the salad with cooked, cooled quinoa instead.
lime, zested and juiced (about 1 Tbsp. zest and 2 Tbsp. juice)1
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