Quinoa Black Bean Salad Recipe

I have to admit after staring at the computer for 10 hours at work today the last thing I wanted to do is write a blog tonight, but I've been dying to share this recipe with you.

I have to give credit where credit is due, and credit for discovering this recipe fully goes to Karissa at Confessions of an Herbivore. She made this for a small dinner gathering we had with friends while I was visiting St. Louis a couple weeks ago and instantly I was hooked!

I've made and tasted several Quinoa salads and until eating this one I was never satisfied. The flavors I wanted to be in the other salads, just weren't there.

Quinoa Black Bean Salad
Recipe courtesy of Cooking Quinoa.

The ingredients.

1 1/2 cups uncooked quinoa

3 cups chicken broth

15 oz can black beans

1 1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 tsp juice from pickled jalapenos*

1 1/2 cups cooked corn

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped finely

1/2 fresh jalapeno, chopped finely*

1/2 cup green onions, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, chopped finely

1/4 cup lime juice*

1 tsp salt

1 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin

2 tablespoons olive oil*

*I made a few alterations, including cutting the oil in half, using only 1/4 c lime juice, using fresh jalapenos instead of pickled and using half the jalapeno juice since mine were home canned last summer and they are MEGA spicy!

Basically all I did was cook the quinoa. While the quinoa was cooking I chopped everything up and combined as directed, leaving the lime juice, oil and cumin to make a dressing of sorts. Once the quinoa was cooked and cooled (in the fridge) I combined it with everything else and mixed the "dressing" in. Perfect!

Mine made ten 1 cup servings.

Finished product.

It just has a kick to it, but it doesn't have a lingering "after" spicy taste and the red peppers and corn bring a sweetness to it.

Additionally, it makes a great side dish OR a meal in of itself! It's packed full of wonderful nutrients, like 9 g of protein per serving and being high in vitamin C. It's also low in saturated fat, has no cholesterol and offers 5 g of fiber.

I. Love. This. Salad.