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Black beans, yams, and quinoa come together beautifully in this filling and colorful salad. Onion, bell pepper, garlic, lime juice, cilantro, and Mexican seasoning team up to provide the lively flavors. A crowd-pleasing dish, perfect for parties and potlucks!
Black Bean & Yam Salad
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- Total Time: 1 hour 5 mins
- Yield: 6-8 (makes 9 cups) 1x
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup dry/uncooked quinoa
- 1¼ pounds yams, peeled, cut into ¼-inch cubes (about 3 cups)
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic (3-4 cloves), or 1 teaspoon dried
- 2 cups coarsely chopped greens (such as kale, collard greens, or chard)
- 1½ cups cooked black beans (or one 15-ounce can), drained and rinsed
- 1 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
- 1 avocado, chopped (optional)
- For the dressing:
- ⅓ cup lime juice
- 1 tablespoon dried Mexican or taco-style seasoning blend (see photo above)
Instructions
- Bring the water and quinoa to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat, uncovered. Reduce the heat to low, then cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside for 10 minutes with the lid still on.
- Place the yams into a pot and cover them with water. Bring to a boil over high heat, uncovered, and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the yams are tender but not falling apart. Drain and set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of water in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When the water starts to sputter, add the onion and bell pepper. Cook while stirring for 2 to 5 minutes, adding a little water, as needed, until the onions and peppers soften. Stir in the greens and garlic, adding a little water as needed, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the greens have wilted.
- Place the cooked quinoa and yams into a large bowl, and add the cooked vegetables, black beans, cilantro, and avocado (if using).
- For the dressing, mix the lime juice and Mexican seasoning in a small bowl with a fork, and then stir into the salad.
Notes
Quinoa substitute: If you don’t have quinoa on hand, use 1 cup dry/uncooked long-grain brown rice, and simmer for 45 minutes.
Yam swap: Sweet potatoes also work well in this salad, but I prefer yams since they are more colorful.
Herb options: If you are not a fan of cilantro, you may use fresh basil or parsley.
To make your own Mexican spice blend, use a combination of chili powder, paprika, cumin, granulated garlic, granulated onion, and/or a pinch of cayenne pepper.
- Prep Time: 35 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ⅛ recipe (1 cup)
- Calories: 224
- Sugar: 8.0g
- Sodium: 48mg
- Fat: 2.3g
- Saturated Fat: 0.3g
- Carbohydrates: 49.7g
- Fiber: 11.0g
- Protein: 9.7g
- Cholesterol: 0
Above: When buying Mexican or taco-style seasoning, look for blends in the spice aisle, not as a “Taco Seasoning Mix” packet, as these packets often contain ingredients that are not healthful, such as MSG, aspartame, oil, sugar, salt, milk, and "natural flavorings" (which is a sneaky way of hiding ingredients). The bottom label is from a jar of seasoning, and is preferable to the two top labels, which are from "Taco Seasoning Mix" packets. Always read ingredient labels before you buy.
Above: If you want to be creative in your presentation, firmly press some salad into a 1-cup measuring cup or very small bowl, and invert it onto a plate.
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Reader Interactions
Comments
NancyLooks delicious, I am going to try this
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- sarahsmithintexas
this may be my new summer standard -- I love all of your recipes!
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- Cathy
😉 Thank you!
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- Lynn
This made for a very, very nice lunch. I used spinach, pinto beans and basil, and since I couldn't find the seasoning blend I used half chili powder and half cumin. Delicious and satisfying!
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- Cathy
Great, thanks Lynn! 🙂
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- Sharon
My husband made this tonight, it was FANTASTIC! Thank you so much!
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- Cathy
Thank you, Sharon! 😉
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- Mark Spangenberg
Does quinoa still require careful rinsing?
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- Cathy
In my experience, no. 🙂
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- Lisa Scott
Many times it is already rinnsed and will say so on the bag. If you buy in bulk, rinse it just in case. If you don't rinse it, it will have a bitter taste.
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- Kris McCormack
I've made this salad twice since it was posted here. My husband and I both think it's super! I make it with rice (since quinoa and I have an ongoing disagreement), double the garlic, and keep the avocado separate (that's for him, not for me because I'm working on weight loss.) Your site makes whole food plant based living so easy and so very tasty. Thank you again, Cathy!
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- Cathy
Love it! Thank you Kris! 🙂
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- Diane
Copied the recipe and will make this. Thanks for sharing. I just made the beef less stew and it is delicious! I have been following a plant based diet for 6 years and always welcome new recipes.
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- Cathy
Thanks Diane! 😉
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- Jennifer
Hey Cathy, I was unable to get the chipotle blend. Asked the workers at the whole foods store and they said they had nothing like that. Please can you tell me which brand you use and a picture possibly please? Would have been great to have that as a reference but only had the ingredient list picture here which i was trying to show the lady there but it wasn't of much help to her. Please let me know 🙂 Bought all else required and excited to cook the meal 🙂 Thanks a ton!!
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- Cathy
Hi, you can see the one I used here. Another is here. But any spice blend that is Mexican or similar will work. 🙂
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- Jennifer
Thank you so much for the timely response Cathy! Off to get one of those now & make the dish. Thanks for all your helpful resources 🙂
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- Jennifer
Hey Cathy,
So i tried this recipe out. It was amazing. My sister who's not vegan absolutely loved it. Im trying to make a timetable with wholesome meals I can cook and eat weekly. I'm certainly including this & it lasted for 3 servings for me as I had it on it's own. Anyway thank you so very much for this. Excited to try out some other staple recipes. Thanks for all your resources and help. It's greatly appreciated!!Reply
- Lisa Pellecchia-Kraus
Would I be able to substitute cubed butternut squash for the yams?
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- Cathy
Oh yes, that would be great! 🙂
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- Sue Kennedy
Hi Cathy, I made this recipe for dinner last night (I've made this before but from different recipes). It seemed inconceivable that I could cook without oil and salt it is so deeply ingrained into our culture! But it worked. I skipped the boiling the yams and just put them in the skillet with a little extra water after the garlic and onion was done. Nor did I have the mexican spice blend on hand so used some chipolte sauce instead (yikes! loaded with salt too).. No ripe avocado either which I think would have been a nice addition. Not being used to cooking without salt I found it a bit bland, and dry without oil (I had been using coconut oil). Also I woke up at 5 am starving! What can I add to give it more satiety (stick to the ribs) feeling that you get from oils?
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- Cathy
Beans and yams are pretty filling foods, so I would say to eat more volume to fill you up. It may seem bland and dry because it's new to you. Give it some time without SOS and your palate will adjust. 🙂
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- Su Hu
LOVED this! Used "Simply Organic Southwest Taco Seasoning". Stuffed the salad in a cup and inverted it on plate to make a mold as you suggested, beautiful fancy for a Thursday night at home. Used fresh basil and did all as you instructed, delicious! Thank you, I'm searching more on your site....
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- Ann Murray
My husband does not like quinoa. Can I substitute lentils?
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- Cathy
Sure. But if you want to substitute with another grain, rice would work too. 🙂
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- Kay
Beautiful, delicious meal(s), so light, and I love that there is plenty for leftovers. Thank you for this wonderful recipe.
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- begreenwithamy
This looks delicious, Cathy. Which brand of Mexican seasoning do you suggest?
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- Cathy
I don't have a favorite brand; just anything w/o salt. 🙂
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- DianaS
Will this keep in the fridge, if so how long? Can you freeze it?
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- Cathy
Fridge about 3-4 days. Freezing is probably fine. 🙂
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- Fay
Hey! In your recipes that use canned beans do you use regular or sodium free or low sodium? Trying out SOS...
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- Cathy
I always use "no salt added" beans or make my own from scratch. 🙂
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- Fay
Hey. Canned beans should be sodium free or regular?
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- Cathy
salt-free is best 🙂
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- Kathy Hostetter
Hi Cathy,
I made this recipe for a plant based potluck last month and it was well received. I sliced the avocado and arranged them in a pinwheel fashion. Love the color of this dish! First time sauteing in water. Wow, didn't know that could be done. Thanks for your inspiring recipes. 🙂Reply
- Cathy
Thanks Kathy! 😉
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- Patti
I just made this and it's amazing. I'm working really hard on eating "straight up food" and your recipes are priceless. I followed each step and it turned out to look exactly like yours and it tastes absolutely delicious. I love the dressing too. So easy and tasty. Thanks Kathy for all the time and thought you put into your recipes. I like that there is lots of compassionate proteins too! : )
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- Cathy
Thanks Patti! So glad! 🙂 I like "compassionate proteins."
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- Ruth
If I create the mexican spice blend for this recipe, please clue me as to proportions of all the spices (tsp.? tablespoons?): chili powder, paprika, cumin, granulated garlic, granulated onion, and I can do the last one - a pinch of cayenne pepper. Thanks
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- Cathy
I'd probably do: 1t chili powder, 1t paprika, .5t cumin, and .25t ea. of the dried onion and garlic. A little more/less is fine too. 🙂
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