Avocado Quinoa Salad With Black Beans, Corn and Tomatoes

I love healthy salads using veggies and quinoa.  This is a tasty combination of flavorful ingredients, and is a fresh, healthy option.  The great part is that it is so easy to customize, so you can choose the ratios of ingredients for this salad, depending on which items you like the most.

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Ingredients

** Note! I usually do not use exact measurements! I create my own proportions, and this salad is so easily customizable.  You can always choose which ingredients you want to go heavier on.

~ 2 cups cooked quinoa
~ 1 pint of grape tomatoes (I prefer grape tomatoes, but you can use other kinds if preferred)
~ 2 avocados
~ 1 cup corn
~ 1 cup or can of black beans
~ Cilantro (optional)
~ extra virgin olive oil
~ Lemon juice
~ Salt and pepper

Directions

Prepare the quinoa per the instructions. I usually choose organic quinoa, and you can also use a multicolor quinoa.

I usually saute in a pan before cooking with water.

Cut up the tomatoes. I usually use grape tomatoes, but you can use cherry tomatoes if you prefer.  Cherry tomatoes tend to be sweeter with a little more water content, which is why I use grape tomatoes, but it is really personal preference.

Prepare the corn, whether you thaw frozen corn or cook fresh corn.

For fresh corn, I steam the corn only for a minute or two to keep it as fresh and crisp as possible.  Once cooked, remove from the cob and allow to cool.

Drain the beans.

Cut up the avocado into cubes or chunks.

I adjust the amount of cilantro depending on who is eating the salad!  I am a big fan of cilantro, and I go heavy on the cilantro.  However, if I am serving this to a group that is not as much of a fan, I use less or close to none.

Gently toss the ingredients together.

Drizzle the salad with olive oil, lemon juice, and salt.

I usually mix this roughly, as the avocado breaks down to add some creaminess to the salad.