Summer Quinoa Salad, Mexican-Style

This quinoa salad combines the flavors of esquites, a traditional Mexican street snack, with guacamole and tosses it with summer’s sweetest cherry tomatoes for a delicious summer salad that (bonus) is great for picnics and BBQs!

I was inspired by a Mexican corn and quinoa salad from What’s Gaby Cooking?, but made a few changes: I cooked the corn and omitted the different cheeses and mayo to make this salad completely vegan (and gluten-free). I also added tomatoes. Hope you enjoy! —Ishita

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet until shimmering. Add the corn kernels and cook on medium-high heat for 3 minutes, letting them brown (do not touch or stir them). After one side is charred, toss the kernels and let another side cook, undisturbed, for 2-3 minutes, repeating until the kernels are evenly charred on all sides. Toss with the chipotle or chili powder, then set aside to cool.
2. In a large bowl, make a basic guacamole: mash the avocado, half of the cilantro, half of the green onions, serrano pepper and juice of one lime.
3. Stir in the cooled corn, quinoa and cherry tomatoes into the guacamole. Toss with the remaining cilantro, green onions and lime juice, then add salt and pepper, to taste. Serve at room temperature or chilled.