My favorite taste-tester says that the first bite of this salad takes him straight back to Mexico. Hearty with high-protein quinoa, crunchy with vegetables, bright with lime, it's a real crowd pleaser.
Say allillanchu (hello!) to quinoa, a new food friend.
Her name is pronounced KEEN-wah and she’s from South America where she’s been cultivated for 5000 years. The ancient Incas called her chesiya mama, mother grain.
Fact is, quinoa’s not a grain at all but the fruit of a plant related to beets, chard and spinach. Still, she’s prepared and eaten like a grain.
She cooks fast, twice as fast as rice. She’s lighter and fluffier than couscous and tastes, subtly, like toasted nuts.
She’s packed with protein, a complete protein like meat’s. This means that quinoa is one of the healthiest grains around, some say, the super-grain of the future.
Long before Whole Foods and the explosion of international products on the Internet and supermarket shelves, I cooked quinoa off and on. But it was hard to find and then only on dusty shelves in the odd corner store where turnover was slow. Me, I’m glad to be re-introduced to the contemporary product, now raised in North as well as South America.
Wash your hands well with soap after touching even relatively mild jalapeño peppers. You may not feel the burn on your fingers right away. But later, if you accidentally touch your eyes or lips, watch out!
QUINOA & BLACK BEAN SALAD
Time to table: 60 minutes
Makes 8 cups
- 3 cups water
- 1-1/2 cups quinoa
- 2 teaspoons table salt
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- Zest & juice from 3 limes (about 5 tablespoons juice)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1-1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 15 ounces canned black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1-1/2 cups frozen corn (no need to thaw or cook)
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1/2 red onion, chopped
- 2 jalapeño peppers, minced (see ALANNA’s TIPS)
- 2 cups cilantro (about 1 bunch), chopped
Bring water to boil in a medium saucepan over medium high. Rinse quinoa well under cold running water. Add salt and quinoa to water, return to boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook until liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Transfer to colander to drain and cool slightly.
Meanwhile, combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Add quinoa. Taste and add salt if needed. Let cool at least 30 minutes. Serve at room temperature.
This easy salad is a real crowd-pleaser. It's perfect for warm-weather and outdoor potlucks since it has no mayonnaise. I've also made this with whole wheat couscous instead of quinoa. To 'cook' the couscous, just toss it with the vinegar and lime juice while assembling the other ingredients. These days, I some times use only a tablespoon or two of oil. It's still delicious! Plus, without the oil, the lime shines through. During the summer, use fresh sweet corn, sliced straight off the ears into the bowl - luscious, so sweet and tender, no need to cook. Substitute fresh dill for a good portion of the cilantro, another great combination. Oh! and leave out the quinoa entirely for a really good bean salad. Can you tell? This is one of my very favorite salads, it's so good and so versatile. People love it.More Hearty Salads
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