Mexi-style Quinoa Salad, Chipotle-Lime Dressing

I've decided this deserves a post even though it's pretty similar to my other post for Grilled Chicken over Quinoa Salad, Cilantro-Lime Dressing because it's a meatless version that incorporates the best part of the chicken into the salad - the chipotle peppers of course!

We went to a Mexican themed potluck this weekend, and this salad, with a slight chipotle kick, got a lot of love!

Serves 4-6

• 1 1/3 cup quinoa
• 2 1/3 cups water
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 bay leaf
• Dressing
• Juice squeezed from 1 lime
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
• 3/4 tsp ground cumin
• 3/4 tsp ground pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• 1 (14oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed 
• 1 1/3 cup frozen corn, thawed
• 1/2 hothouse cucumber 
• top half of a bunch of green onion
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
• 1 ripe avocado

Quinoa should be cooked in advance so it has time to cool. Add quinoa, water, salt, cumin and bay leaf to a medium pot over high heat. Once it reaches a boil, reduce to low and cover with lid. Set timer for 15min. Remove from heat, let stand 5min. Discard bay leaf. Fluff and set aside to cool to room temperature (or refrigerate if making well in advance).

Drain and rinse black beans in a colander. Measure out frozen corn and place in colander with black beans. 

Mince the chipotle peppers with a little bit of adobo sauce. Store remaining peppers in airtight container. Add all dressing ingredients to a cup/jar, stirring well to incorporate. Set aside.

Dice cucumber. Chop green onion and cilantro.

Remove pit from avocado. Slice lengthwise into 8 strips and remove the peel. Give the peeled avocado a quick cold water bath to prevent them from turning brown. Remove from water and dice into bite size pieces. 

Place cooled quinoa, beans and vegetables in a large salad bowl and toss well with dressing. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover and set aside until ready to serve.

Chipotle Chicken, Black Bean & Corn Wraps

Mmm I love the smoky heat of chipotle peppers.. so uniquely different from the taste of raw jalapenos! I like to bring out the smokiness even more by adding a smoky BBQ sauce to the mix. And since the mix is quite juicy, I pair this with a Spanish rice to help absorb the sauce and make your meal a little less messy! If you don't like Spanish rice, plain rice or quinoa works well too. 

These healthy wraps are quite filling - I'm good with one for dinner, B has two. This recipe yields 4-6 wraps depending on how much you stuff them! 

Yield 4-6 wraps

• 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
• Chicken marinade: 

• 4 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• 2 tbsp BBQ sauce (I like smoky chipotle or Bull's Eye Guiness)
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp cayenne 
• leaves from 3-4 stems of kale (spinach works too, the point is just to get some greens!)
• 1 onion, divided
• 1 cup long grain white rice (2 cups water)
• 1 tsp cajun seasoning
• 1 tsp chili powder 
• 1/2 tsp ground pepper
• 1 6oz can tomato paste
• 1 15oz can black beans
• 3 green onions
• 1 1/2 cups frozen corn
• 2 tbsp BBQ sauce
• grated cheese for topping (I used colby-jack, but cheddar or mozza will do)
• 4-6 tortilla wraps (I like La Tortilla Factory's Smart & Delicious, Low Carb, HighFibre)

Trim any fat off chicken breast and cut into small chunks. 

Mince chipotle peppers, keeping some adobo sauce to use for the marinade. Add marinade ingredients to chicken, mix and set aside. Marinade and refrigerate well in advance if time allows so the flavor really sets in. 

Wash kale and rip leaves from stems/ribs. Set aside to let dry. 

Dice the onion, sectioning off 1/4 for the Spanish rice, and 3/4 for the chipotle chicken, black bean & corn mix. 

Heat a small amount of olive oil in frying pan with lid over med-high. Add 1/4 diced onion and stir for 2min. Add 1 cup long grain white rice and let toast for 2min. Add cajun, chili powder and ground pepper, and stir to mix for another 3min. 

Add tomato paste and 2 cups of water to the rice mixture. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low-med and cover with lid for 20min or until all liquid is absorbed. Once the rice is ready, remove from heat, and let stand 5min before fluffing. 

Drain and rinse black beans. 

Wash and dice green onions. 

In a separate frying pan with lid, heat a small amount of olive oil over med-high. Add remaining 3/4 of diced onion and stir for 3min. Then add marinated chicken and fry together for another 4min, stirring often. 

Add black beans, corn, green onion, and BBQ sauce to the chicken and onion. Stir to combine, reduce heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 15min. 

If you like warm wraps, heat them in the oven for 5min, wrapped in foil. 

Grate as much cheese as you'd like. 

Once everything is ready, it's time to assemble the wraps! I like to start with kale as the base of the wrap so the heat from the rest of the ingredients wilts the greens. Next, I do a layer of Spanish rice, then the chipotle chicken mix. Top with cheese, then wrap it up and enjoy!