Recipe #37 - Black Bean Quinoa Salad

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This is an award winning recipe I found in the Commercial Appeal created by Megan Murphy, a Tennessee-licensed registered dietitian.

She writes, "Quinoa is a seed that kind of masquerades as a grain. Its consistency is grain-like, but its is noat a grain, and there is no gluten in it. The tiny uncooked quinoa particles swell up when you cook them into small round pellets and give a satisfying chew to dishes, including this one"

Quinoa also contains all 8 essential amino acids (proteins) needed in the human diet. Which makes it very poplar with vegans.

In a small bowl, toss the drained beans with the vinegar, salt and pepper. Let stand for about 30 minutes before draining off any excess liquid.

Meanwhile, in another bowl wash the quinoa in cold water, drain into a coffee filter or fine sieve set over a bowl or pot.

Bring 1 1/2 cups of water to a boil in a medium-sized pot, add quinoa. Lower heat and cover; cook for about 15 minutes until most of the water is absorbed. Set the pot of quinoa off the heat, and let it stand for about 20 minutes to finish absorbing the water.

Once quinoa has absorbed all the cooking water, transfer it to a large plate or bowl and allow to come to room temperature (using a plate spreads it out more so getting to room temperature doesn't take as long).

Once the quinoa is room temperature, put it in a good sized bowl or container. Add the drained beans, red bell pepper, red onions, jalapenos and cilantro; toss gently to combine.

In a smaller bowl, whisk together the lime juice, salt, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Add the oil in a stream, whisking continuously. Once the oil is all incorporated, add the dressing to the quinoa/bean mixture and stir gently to combine.

Love, love, LOVE, LoVe this one. Anything with black beans (the healthiest of the the beans) is good in my book. The cilantro, freshly picked from the garden, was of course perfect with the fresh lime juice. The cayenne pepper along with the jalapenos and roasted red pepper gave it a little punch that spiced up the quinoa.

The dressing was definitely my favorite part. I put together a salad the next night and made the exact dressing for the topper. I also made this recipe again about a week later for lunch. Very healthy. Very tasty.

Rating: 9
Time: 40 mins
Serves: 6, about 1 cup each.
Per serving: 260 calories, 13 gm fat, 2 gm saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 29 gm carbohydrates, 6 gm fiber, 7 gm protein, 219 mg sodium.
Ingredients:
For the salad:
1 1/2 cups black beans, canned, drained and rinsed (1 15-oz. can)
1 1/2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 freshly cracked black pepper
3/4 cup quinoa
1 1/2 cups water
1 large red pepper, roasted, seeded, peeled and diced (can be from a jar)
1 small-medium red onion, diced (about 2/3 cup diced)
2 tablespoons pickled jalapeno chiles, diced
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped

For the dressing:
4 1/2 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 ground cumin
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil