Bean and quinoa salad recipe

[millenium girl]

As some of you might know, m_b told me to eat brown rice and beans after my surgery. I got tired of the taste and switched to quinoa instead of brown rice. I looked for recipes on the internet and this is one of my favorites.


Bean & Quinoa Salad Recipe
Prep Time: 15 min
Total Time: 30 min
Serves 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
• 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. 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.