Happy Cinco de Mayo! With warmer weather approaching I love to add a fresh, easy salad to our meals. This quinoa salad makes a perfect side to just about anything you throw on the grill. It’s also a great dish to take to a picnic. Make it the night before and the flavors combine perfectly.

And for the best part, my 5 year old daughter gave it two thumbs up.

To get full freshness and flavor of your mangos, store them in a refrigerator after they ripen at room temperature. You’ll need to eat them within five days of refrigeration to get the best flavor.

Salad Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa, cooked
• 1 mango, diced
• 1 small red onion, diced
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1/2 jalapeño pepper, seeded and thinly diced
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
  

Dressing Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• Handful chopped fresh cilantro
• Salt and pepper to taste
  

Directions

1. Cook quinoa according to directions and let cool. In a large bowl mix cooked quinoa and all of the ingredients for the salad.  
2. For the dressing, in a bowl or jar with a lid a mix olive oil, vinegar, honey , lemon juice , cilantro, salt, and pepper. Mix well with a whisk or shake well in jar.  
3. Pour dressing over quinoa mixture and stir well. Refrigerate for 30 minutes and serve.
   

Enjoy!