Serves 8-10 as a side dish or 6-8 as a meal

Looking for the perfect recipe when feeding a large crowd? You just found it. This recipe takes you to flavour-town, with an aromatic smoked paprika dressing mixed into beans, corn, fresh avocado, other salad ingredients and quinoa. It is gluten-free and wholesome, and you can even make it vegan by using a plant-based cheese.

 

Ingredients

Salad

  • 250 ml (1 cup) uncooked white quinoa
  • 625 ml (2½ cups) water
  • 2 corn on the cob, uncooked, kernels cut off
  • 1 x 400 g tin red kidney beans, drained and rinsed in cold water
  • 200 g baby tomatoes, halved
  • 2 spring onions, thinly sliced
  • ¼ cucumber, cubed
  • 2 slices feta cheese, cubed
  • a small handful, fresh coriander and mint leaves
  • 1 ripe avocado, cubed and sliced

 

Dressing

  • 80 ml (⅓ cup) Westfalia Plain Avocado Oil
  • 80 ml (⅓ cup) Westfalia Lemon Flavoured Avocado Oil
  • 10 ml (2 tsp) smoked paprika
  • 45 ml (3 tbsp) red wine vinegar
  • 5 ml (1 tsp) honey
  • 30 ml (2 tbsp) chopped fresh coriander
  • salt and pepper to taste

 

Method

  1. Salad: Place quinoa and water with a pinch of salt in a saucepan and bring over a medium heat to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, with the lid, for 20 minutes or until just cooked and still fluffy. (Quinoa is cooked as soon as the white ‘tail’ is visible.)
  2. Drain quinoa well and place in a flat dish, gently toss in 30 ml of the plain avocado oil and allow to cool.
  3. Heat 15 ml of the lemon-flavoured avocado oil over a medium heat in a large frying pan. Pan-fry corn kernels until charred. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
  4. Mix all the salad ingredients, except the avocado, together in a large bowl. Gently toss in quinoa.
  5. Dressing: whisk all the ingredients together in a jug and season to taste. Pour half of the dressing over the salad and toss through.
  6. Spoon salad onto a large serving platter. Add the avocado and serve the salad as a side dish or light vegetarian meal, with the remaining dressing.

 

Tips
  1. Substitute the white quinoa for red quinoa and cook for 25-30 minutes or just until the little white ‘tail’ is visible.
  2. If using a tin of whole kernel corn, drain very well and pat dry with paper towel, before pan-frying.
  3. Substitute red kidney beans with a tin of black beans, well-drained.
  4. This dressing is a great marinade for seafood, chicken, steak and pork.