Black Bean and Tomato Quinoa
maxine July 10th, 2008
This is such a healthy dish! Quinoa can be found in most health food stores (Whole Foods, Harmon’s, etc.), and often in the bulk section if your store has one of those. It’s taste is slightly nutty, and you prepare it just like oatmeal. This is great for a vegetarian dish, as quinoa is the only grain that contains complete protein (just like meat). Try this as a side dish or as a healthy lunch atop lettuce or spinach.
Note about cooking quinoa: This recipe tells you to steam it after boiling for a short while. That gets it super light and fluffy, which makes it work better for the salad. If you don’t feel like it, though, you can just boil it with a 1:2 ratio of quinoa to water until the germ spirals out and the grain becomes slightly translucent, about 15 minutes. Both ways work just fine.
serves 4 (as a side dish)
Ingredients
2 teaspoons grated lime zest
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup quinoa
1 (14- to 15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 medium tomatoes, diced
4 scallions, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Preparation
Whisk together lime zest and juice, butter, oil, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4teaspoon pepper in a large bowl.
Wash quinoa in 3 changes of cold water in a bowl, draining in a sieve each time.
Cook quinoa in a medium pot of boiling salted water (1 tablespoon salt for 2 quarts water), uncovered, until almost tender, about 10 minutes. Drain in sieve, then set sieve in same pot with 1 inch of simmering water (water should not touch bottom of sieve). Cover quinoa with a folded kitchen towel, then cover sieve with a lid (don’t worry if lid doesn’t fit tightly) and steam over medium heat until tender, fluffy, and dry, about 10 minutes. Remove pot from heat and remove lid. Let stand, still covered with towel, 5 minutes.
Add quinoa to dressing and toss until dressing is absorbed, then stir in remaining ingredients and salt and pepper to taste.
recipe courtesy of epicurious.com