Black Bean and Quinoa Salad - this one’s a keeper!

This has got to be one of my all time favorite salads… it’s easy to devour bowlfuls of it! It’s healthy, nutritious and very delicious! It can be served as a salad or side dish. Black beans, quinoa, yellow peppers and cilantro are mixed together with a refreshing citrus-soy vinaigrette.

Serves: 4 to 6 Active Time: 30 mins Total Time: 1 hr - 8 hrs

Step 1: Preparing the Beans

•   6 oz dried black beans (2 cups cooked)
•   1 garlic clove
•   1 bay leaf
•   1 tsp sea salt

If using dried beans, first sort through them and remove any stones. Rinse them well and cover with cold water. Soak the beans for up to 8 hours (or overnight).
If you have forgotten to soak the beans in advance, bring them to a boil over high heat for about 3 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water and continue with the recipe.

To cook the beans, first drain the soaking liquid, rinse, and then place the beans into a medium-sized pot. Add the garlic and bay leaf. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and let simmer for about an hour, or until the beans are almost cooked through.

Once the beans are almost done, add the salt. Cook until just tender.

Alternatively, you can use canned black beans. Drain and rinse before adding to the salad.

Step 2: Cooking the Quinoa

•   1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
•   1 cup stock or water
•   1/2 tsp sea salt

First clean the quinoa by rinsing it under cold water, if necessary. Some brands of quinoa do not require rinsing and can be used directly - refer to the instructions on the package.

Place the stock, quinoa and salt into a small pot and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce the heat to a simmer. Let cook for approximately 15 minutes or until all of the liquid has been absorbed.

Once done, remove from the heat and let rest, covered, for at least 5 minutes.

Once rested, spread the quinoa out onto a plate to cool completely

Step 3: Preparing Your Mise en Place

•   1/2 yellow bell pepper*
•   2 to 3 tbsp red onion
•   3 green onions
•   1/4 bunch cilantro

To prepare your mise en place, cut the pepper into small dice. *Note: instead of yellow pepper, diced mango would make a nice alternative.

Finely dice the red onion and finely chop the green onions. Roughly chop the cilantro and set everything aside.

Step 4: Assembling the Salad

•   3 tbsp sherry vinegar (or rice vinegar)
•   2 tbsp soy sauce (or liquid aminos)
•   2 tbsp fresh lime juice
•   2 tsp chipotle pepper puree
•   3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
•   sea salt, to taste
•   freshly ground black pepper, to taste

To make the vinaigrette, whisk together the vinegar, soy sauce, lime juice and chipotle pepper puree in a large bowl. Whisk in the olive oil and season to taste.

Next, add the black beans, quinoa and all of your mise en place. Gently fold everything together and adjust the seasonings to your liking (i.e., more lime juice, soy sauce, chipotle pepper, etc.).

Serve immediately. It can also be stored in the refrigerator for a couple of days.

**credit goes to rouxbe.com for creating this marvelous recipe.