Black Bean and Quinoa Salad

I hope you all love this salad as much as I do.  It is the perfect dish to serve as a light, vegan entree, as a side for chicken or fish or to keep in the frig and add to a green salad for lunch.

Everything in this dish is extremely good for you so enjoy every bite...Your body will thank you!   Quinoa has the texture of a grain but is actually a seed, and it is high in protein, fiber, magnesium, calcium and iron.

Black Bean & Quinoa Salad Recipe

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

• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional for heat)

• 1 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained well

• 2 or more ears of corn, corn kernels removed (frozen works well here to)

• 1 red bell pepper, quarter inch chopped (about 1 cup)

• 2-3 green onions, root removed, white and part of the greens chopped (I don't love raw onions so I sometimes omit or go light)

• 1 handful of cilantro, rough chopped (about 1/3 cup)

Recipe:

Prepare quinoa and cool in the frig.

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.   This dish is best served cold or room temperature.