Quinoa, corn, black bean & red pepper salad: the recipe
Last week, I couldn’t believe how much junk The Man and I ate. It was disgusting (at one point, I have to admit, we went to three different fast food places in one day! AGGGGH!) Then, last night, guilt-stricken, I watched the first part of an eye-opening documentary, “Forks Over Knives” (I’ll finish the rest tonight), which my meat-loving sister-in-law recommended. She actually turned vegan after watching it. It really did make a lot of sense, and I was inspired to include more plant-based foods into my diet.
So today I made this beautiful and colorful quinoa salad. Quinoa is a nutty grain from South America and its flavor really comes out in this dish. The addition of black beans makes this a pretty complete meal, I would say. I didn’t even miss the meat! (Although it would be a nice side to some grilled chicken or carne asada!)
Anyway, enjoy…and I hope you also get inspired to take care of yourselves and eat more healthfully.
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
- 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 red bell pepper, roasted and chopped
- 1 cup corn kernels
- 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Directions
- Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned.
- Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes,
- Stir roasted red bell pepper and corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans and cilantro.
