Petra's Quinoa and Black Bean Salad

I figured it was about time that I opened up my Whitewater Cooks cookbook and tried a new recipe, so I decided to make one of their salads for lunches at work this week.  It has a bundle of veggies, quinoa and black beans so it's a really nice, all in one meal.  Based on the ingredients I thought the flavours might be a bit overwhelming, but they all melded together very nicely and had a nice warm flavouring even though the salad was cold.  I've included the recipe below (altered a wee bit based on what was in my pantry).

 

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa uncooked
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp paprika
• 2 cups water
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 cups frozen corn (or fresh if it's in season)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 2 red peppers, diced
• 1 large tomato, diced
• 1 fresh chile, seeds removed and chopped very finely
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 tsp cilantro, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 dashes salt
• Fresh ground pepper to taste

Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a saucepan over low heat, add the paprika and stir for about 1 minute, being careful not to burn the paprika.  Add the quinoa, water and salt.  Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cook for 15 minutes, and then let sit on turned off element for another 5 minutes.  In a skillet, heat the remaining oil and sauté the onions, garlic, cumin and coriander until the onions are translucent.  Stir in the red peppers, chile and cilantro.  Sauté for another 5 minutes.  In a large bowl, combine the quinoa and sautéed vegetables and chill for approximately 15 minutes.  Stir in the corn, black beans, tomatoes, parsley, lemon juice, salt and pepper.  Makes approximately 6 servings.

 

http://www.whitewatercooks.com/