Black Bean & Quinoa Salad

At first glance you probably think, “Ew.” I know. I was just like you at one point in time, too; however, since further exploring my dietary restrictions I have opened myself up to new options. Tonight I tried this dish at the restaurant in my hotel and it was phenomenal – and this is coming from a girl who loves nachos. This right here is GOLD and a must try – even if you are just getting into healthy eating. I promise you are going love it!

Note: I did not come up with this one. All the credit goes to http://www.elizabethrider.com. As soon as I came back up to my room, I Google’d recipes and her’s was the closest I could find that (in my mind) would mimic the taste of what I just had. She has a great site for you to like, favorite and comment on! Check it out!

Prep Time: 15 min
Total Time: 30 min
Serves 4-8

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked quinoa (1 cup dry quinoa yields about 2 cups cooked)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 clove garlic, pressed, grated or finely chopped
Juice of one lime (about 2 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
Black Bean Quinoa Salad
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional for heat)
1 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained well
1 red bell pepper, quarter inch chopped (about 1 cup)
6 green onions, root removed, white and part of the greens chopped (about 1 cup)
1 handful of cilantro, rough chopped (about 1/3 cup)

Recipe: Prepare the quinoa (see below). While the quinoa is cooking, whisk the olive oil, cumin, garlic, lime, salt and cayenne (if using) together in the bottom of a large bowl to let the flavors marry while you chop the veggies. Rinse and drain the black beans, then chop the veggies; the key is to make the peppers and onions about the same size as the beans. Add the cooked quinoa, beans and veggies to the bowl and gently fold it all together with the dressing. The quinoa can be warm, room temp, or cold when you make the dish. Regardless, I suggest letting it chill in the refrigerator at least 30 minutes to let the flavors come together. It tastes best served room temperature or chilled.

Preparation Tips:

To prepare the quinoa, rinse it well with in a fine mesh colander and let all of the water drain. Add the rinsed quinoa to a pot and add double the amount of purified water or veggie stock (e.g. 1 cup dry quinoa needs 2 cups of liquid). Bring the pot to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes until all of the liquid is absorbed and the little “tail” of the quinoa has sprouted out. Fluff with a fork and reserve for your recipe. I always set a kitchen timer for 15 minutes to simmer because if left too long it can burn. Also, I always make at least double the quinoa I need–it keeps well in the refrigerator up to 5 days for another recipe.
There’s a silly myth out there that only the white part of a green onion is good. Not true! When using green onions, remove the root end and peel off the outermost layer if it looks tough. Use both the white part and most of the greens, the last few inches of the greens might be tough so you can discard them, but most of the greens are tender and taste great.

– See more at: http://www.elizabethrider.com/superfood-black-bean-quinoa-salad-recipe/#sthash.2h03oByY.dpuf

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