Quinoa & Black Bean Salad

Tonight our beloved Denver Broncos are playing Monday Night Football. As such, I don't have time to make dinner before we head out to our neighborhood bar to watch the game (that's right, we don't have cable...we're trying to save money here and the lovely grey matter in my husband's brain that makes him the witty delight that he is). We are also trying our best to save money and calories by eating in more, so no taco night for us, sorry Bear Paw.

We have fancy grown-up plates...from the 70s

I've been seeing a lot of pins on Pinterest for quinoa salads lately--probably because quinoa is a great high protein grain and being the end of summer, it's still hot enough to be eating salads for dinner. We're also just coming off of vacation realizing that we ate too much and now need to lose that um...summer weight (?). Anyway, we need to eat better and quinoa is good for you. Despite the variety of quinoa salad pins, I didn't find one I really liked, so I made something up. A major plus of this recipe is that it was really easy to prepare in advance--great for times like these when I will get home from working out, need to shower before going out (you're welcome), and eat in time for kick off. I made this Sunday night between preparing our dinner for that night. That should only give the flavors time to blend even more and become more delightful.

I ended up giving this a kind of southwestern kick to it, but this is by no means the only way. Other possible additions to this particular salad: feta or queso fresco, cucumber, olives, bell pepper*, garbanzo beans...the possibilities are almost endless. Use what's in season.

Quinoa and Black Bean Salad
Serves 6

Dressing
1/4 canola oil
Juice from 2 limes
1 tsp dijon (for emulsion)
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
Small minced shallot (about 1 Tbsp)
Salt and pepper to taste

Salad
2 cups dry quinoa
1 can black beans, rinsed**
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half
2 green onions sliced (green and light green parts only)
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
1/2 bag thawed frozen corn (or leftover cooked corn)
1 sliced avocado

Whisk dressing ingredients together, set aside.

Bring 3 cups of water to a boil and add quinoa. Cook at a simmer for a minute, then cover for about 15 until soften. Uncover and let cool to about room temperature. Once cooled, put quinoa, beans, tomatoes, green onions, cilantro and corn into a large bowl and mix. Add the dressing and mix until well incorporated. Serve with sliced avocado.

Per Serving: cal 407 carbs 54g fat 18g protein 12 sugar 2 sodium 122
(this is according to what I entered in MyFitnessPal.com, so it may be a little inaccurate, but close enough...)

*Careful which kind you pick. Sometimes raw green bell pepper can give you some wicked gas. Ahem...not that I would know that from experience or anything...
**I used dry black beans because we had them on hand, but a can will work great if you don't have time