Quinoa Black Bean Salad

We scored with this awesome recipe. The kids ate it up happily and the hubs asked if there were leftovers. Um, nope! This combines healthy ingredients and lots of flavor. You won't be disappointed. Its a great choice for a meatless or vegan option. I also happen to love the blog it came from, mostly because the author is a cute friend of ours from college...and she's rocking it in the mommy food blogger world. Thanks Christy!

Quinoa Black Bean Salad
www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com

1 tsp vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
3/4 cups uncooked quinoa
1 tsp cumin
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 cup frozen corn
2 (15oz) cans of black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 ripe avocado, diced (optional)
Salt & pepper to taste

1. Rinse the quinoa in a strainer. Sometimes it can have a bitter taste on the outside so rinsing gets rid of this.
2. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and cook for a couple of minutes or until onion is soft.
3. Add he quinoa and vegetable broth to the pan. Add the cumin, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Bring mixture to a boil and then cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Stir in lime juice and frozen corn into the pan and simmer for 5 minutes or until corn is heated through.
5. Finally, mix in the black beans and cilantro. Garnish with chopped avocado if desired.
6. Serve hot or cold. Store in refrigerator.

Note* Some of my kids (and husband) opted to add a little shredded cheese & sour cream to the top.