Quinoa Black Bean Salad

I’m already thinking of dishes to take to 4th of July festivities.  So many salads have mayo (gag) in them and have a short potluck shelf life.  This one can stay at room temp indefinitely.

I could eat this every single day of the summer, mixing and matching veggie add-ins.  It’s really THAT good.

Adapted from the NY Times.

Try it for yourself.

For the salad:

• 1 cup uncooked red quinoa
• 1 (14oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1 cup fresh corn (optional) *see note
• 1 small avocado, chopped into 1 inch pieces

For the dressing:

• 4-5 tbsp of fresh lime juice (juice from 2 small limes)
• 1/2 tsp Kosher salt, or to taste
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin, or more to taste (I used 1 tsp, I love cumin)

Directions:

1. Cook 1 cup Red Quinoa according to package directions.

2. While quinoa is cooking, prepare the chopped vegetables and whisk together the dressing.

3. Allow quinoa to cool after cooking for about 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Add the beans and vegetables and toss well.

4. Drizzle dressing over salad and toss well with salt and pepper to taste. Bring salad to room temperature before serving. Keep fresh in a sealed container for 1-2 days. Makes about 5 cups.

Note: I defrosted and drained frozen corn before adding it to the salad, but the result was rubbery corn. I painstakingly picked out every, single, kernel after that eff up.  I would suggest using fresh corn only, if the season applies, otherwise I wouldn’t bother with the frozen stuff.

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