Elote Style Quinoa Salad Recipe

Delicious and refreshing, this quinoa salad is perfect for summertime!
“I’ve always loved the idea of a dish that’s cool to eat in summer,” says chef Sean Houlihan. “It seemed like an obvious opportunity.” This recipe—hand-crafted with fresh ingredients from farmers markets—is just what he had in mind.

This “trader joe’s mexican style corn and quinoa salad recipe” is a delicious and easy to make meal. It can be made in less than 30 minutes.

Elote Style Quinoa Salad Recipe

Elote Quinoa Salad with silky pepper confit, sweet corn, homemade dressing, cotija cheese, lime, and spices Perfect for summer and oh-so-delicious!

Elote-Style-Quinoa-Salad-Recipe

That concludes our discussion. Summer is almost here! And just in time for this creamy, vibrant, nutty dream salad.


Because of the quinoa and black beans, it’s packed with nutrients, but OH, DOES IT GET ZAZZED. The finest of the greatest elote (Mexican street corn) tastes, such zesty lime, salty cotija cheese, and chili powder, are combined in a handmade dressing with velvety peppers confit, heaps of fresh juicy sweet corn, and a homemade dressing. And, as usual, we adore ALDI for providing everything we need to make this fantasy a reality, including all of the fresh (as in “it’s delivered every single day” fresh!) summer veggies packed into this salad delicacy.

Mexican street corn, whether served as elote (on the cob) or esquites (kernels in a cup), is a popular snack in Mexico. This beautifully savory grilled corn is either stuck on wooden sticks or shaved from the cob and served in little cups, depending, and is joyfully carried around and munched on by many. It is painted in mayo, lime juice, cotija, and chili powder, and is painted in mayo, lime juice, cotija, and chili powder, and is joyfully carried around and munched on by many. The pinnacle of grab-and-go!

We’re drawing inspiration from all those lovely delectable tastes, slicing that fresh raw sweet corn straight off the cob, layering, tossing, and blending it with some other chompable greats. Salad is incredibly addicting, so proceed with caution.

In this post, you’ll find everything you need to make an Elote Quinoa Salad.

Salad with Elote Quinoa Ingredients

The ingredient list is short and sweet; you don’t need much to get a lot of taste. As a result, throughout the duration of this list, we’re heading to our ALDI favorites, which are both economical and high-quality.

They offer such a great selection of fresh vegetables, including many organic alternatives, plus you KNOW how much we adore ALDI’s cheese area (it’s incredible), so we’ll be there! What you’ll need is the following:

To make the salad:

  • Quinoa Quinoa Quinoa Quinoa Quinoa Quinoa Quin
  • sweet corn in season
  • Organic Black Beans from Simply Nature
  • sweet peppers in miniature (cooked into pepper confit)
  • cilantro

To make the dressing, combine the following ingredients.

  • Mayo by Burman
  • Grated Cotija Cheese from Pueblo Lindo
  • Chili Powder from Stonemill
  • buttermilk
  • garlic
  • limes

Ingredients for elote quinoa salad

Let’s make this refreshing summer salad together.

Let’s get this summer star ready, shall we?

  1. Quinoa and preparation Cook the quinoa according to your preference, then shave the sweet corn off the cobs.
  2. Confit de poivron. In a pan, drizzle a liberal quantity of olive oil and add the pepper rings. Cook for approximately 20 minutes, stirring regularly, or until very soft and roasty-looking. When you’re done, pour a little lime juice in the pan to pull all the browned crumbs off the bottom of the pan for an added flavor boost!
  3. Dressing prepared from scratch! You’ll mix together all of the ingredients, then taste and adjust as needed. It’s OK if it tastes really salty. You’ll want it to have a lot of taste since it’ll be going over a variety of raw, unseasoned foods.
  4. Toss everything together and serve. Just before serving, toss everything into a dish (or, if you’re a star, arrange it elegantly). Drizzle with the rest of the lovely creamy dressing. Yum!

That concludes our discussion. It’s a piece of cake. Then you may do anything you want with it.

But what about raw corn? In a Salad Salad Salad Salad Salad Salad Salad Salad

Yes! Sweet corn is excellent when it’s raw. It has a crisp, bursty texture and a sweet, almost creamy flavor. It’s a dream come true!

Simply run a sharp knife along the length of the cob to remove all of those delicious light golden beauties and place them in your salad dish. Again and yes again.

You may, of course, roast your corn beforehand if you don’t feel like going for the raw corn experience (be courageous! you can do it!). Get a beautiful grill char on it to really bring out the elote tastes, or sauté it in a hot pan for a similar result.

You could sear some frozen corn if you’re in a hurry, but it won’t have the same crisp or sweet pop.

Elote quinoa salad in a bowl with a fork

Quinoa Cooking Techniques For This Salad

The cooktop technique is an excellent choice:

  1. Rinse under running water for at least 30 seconds, or toast your quinoa beforehand! It aids in the removal of the quinoa’s inherent bitterness on the exterior (thanks to the naturally-occurring saponin coating).
  2. Use a two-to-one liquid-to-quinoa ratio (broth instead of water adds extra taste!).
  3. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low heat and continue to cook until all of the liquid has been absorbed. Remove off the heat, cover, and steam for a few minutes, or until those small curled coils appear.
  4. Remove the cover and fluff the mixture with a fork. It should smell nutty, fluff up easily, and leave no liquid behind!

It can also be done in a rice cooker or Instant Pot if you’re creating bigger amounts! Don’t forget to rinse or toast your quinoa beforehand!

  • Rice cooker: The ratio is still 2 parts liquid to 1 part quinoa, and it takes around 30 minutes to cook.
  • 1.5 parts liquid to 1 part quinoa in a pressure cooker. Cook for 3 minutes on high, then wait 10 minutes for the natural release.

Alternatives to Mayonnaise

You definitely have alternative dressing choices if you don’t want to go the mayo way, even though its salty creaminess can’t be surpassed. You may want to try:

  • Yogurt from Greece
  • soured milk
  • Crema mexicana
  • Perhaps an avocado?

Depending on what you use, you may need to change your buttermilk and cheese ratios to get the desired consistency, but don’t be afraid to experiment!

Serving Suggestions for Elote Salad

This is a delicious and filling supper thanks to the quinoa and black beans. Grilled or rotisserie chicken, on the other hand, would be a fantastic way to welcome some guests to the table. A little dish of salad, followed by all the chips, salsas, and guacamole? Please accept my request.

Serve this salad with tacos at a party? THANK YOU FOR YOUR INQUIRY. Perhaps any of these might be useful:

What we’re saying is that summer is on its way, and this salad is so delicious that you’ll never want to stop eating it.

Frequently Asked Questions about Elote Quinoa Salad

I’m not sure what to serve with this.

This salad is fantastic on its own and is quite satisfying, but grilled chicken would be a nice addition to the salad if desired.

I’ve used up all of my buttermilk. Do you have any suggestions for substitutes?

It’s really rather simple to create buttermilk at home! Here’s how you can create your own.

Do you have any more cheeses to add to the mix?

Cotija is our preferred cheese, but if you can’t locate it, queso fresco will suffice. It just crumbles differently and has a saltier flavor.

Is it possible to prepare this salad ahead of time for the week?

It most certainly can! Dressing drizzles and cheese sprinkles may be added immediately before serving.

Print

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Description

Elote Quinoa Salad with silky pepper confit, sweet corn, homemade dressing, cotija cheese, lime, and spices Perfect for summer and oh-so-delicious! 


Salad:

  • 1 cup uncooked Simple Nature Organic Quinoa
  • 5 delicious corn ears, sliced off the cob
  • 1 can Organic Black Beans from Simply Nature, rinsed
  • 2–3 cups tiny sweet peppers, cut into little rings 1 package mini sweet peppers
  • cooking with olive oil
  • 1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Dressing:

  • 1/3 cup Mayo by Burmannnaise
  • a quarter cup of buttermilk
  • 1 garlic clove, grated
  • 1 teaspoon Chili Powder from Stonemill
  • 1 teaspoon to 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • two limes, juice and zest
  • Grated Cotija Cheese from Pueblo Lindo for topping

  1. Prepare the quinoa and the rest of the ingredients. 
  2. In a pan, drizzle a liberal quantity of olive oil and add the pepper rings. Cook for approximately 20 minutes over medium heat, stirring regularly, or until very soft and roasty-looking. When you’re finished, squeeze a little lime juice in the pan to pull all the browned pieces off the bottom! More taste, please!
  3. To make the dressing, combine all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Taste and adjust as needed. It’s OK if it’s really salty; it’ll be applied to a variety of raw, unseasoned foods, so we want it to be flavorful!
  4. Just before serving, toss the ingredients or arrange them in a dish (quinoa, corn, beans, peppers, cilantro, and topped with dressing and cheese). Serve with grilled chicken, as a dip with chips, or as a meal on its own!
  • Time to Prepare: 20 minutes
  • Time to prepare: 20 minutes
  • Salad is a category of food.
  • Toss is the method.
  • Mexican-inspired cuisine

 

Trader Joe’s corn and quinoa salad, which was discontinued in 2017, has been replaced by a new recipe. The new recipe is called “Elote Style Quinoa Salad.” Reference: trader joe’s corn and quinoa salad discontinued.

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