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Corn & Black Bean Quinoa

This is a mashup of 2 recipes from eatingwell.com and the back of a bag of Trader Joe's red quinoa. I read somewhere that the United Nations declared 2013 the International Year of Quinoa. Which really begs the question, don't they have more important things to do?? This is good and healthy and I'll probably be making it long past the International Year of Quinoa.
- Terry


INGREDIENTS

  • 1 can black beans, rinsed
  • 3 large ears of fresh corned, grilled if desired
  • 1 cup red quinoa
  • 1½ tsp salt
  • 6½ Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 large red onion, halved and sliced
  • 1 tsp. whole cumin seeds, toasted and ground
  • 3 or 4 scallions
  • 1/4 cup fresh lime juice, plus 1 whole lime cut into 12 wedges for garnish
  • 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
  • ½ cilantro leaves
  • 1 avocado, thinly sliced

  • 1 cup crumbled cotija or feta (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

Bring 5 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add quinoa and 1/4 tsp salt. Boil until tender but still crunchy, 10-14 minutes. Drain well and spread on a plate to cool.

Heat 1½ Tbsp olive oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and 1/4 tsp salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until limp and speckled with charred spots, 4 to 8 minutes. Stir in cumin.

Combine the beans, corn, and both types of onions in a large bowl. Add the remaining ½ tsp. salt and toss. Mix together the lime juice and remaining olive oil and mix in. Gently stir in the quinoa.

Just before serving, stir in the tomatoes and cilantro. Serve the salad with avocado and lime wedges.