Sweet ‘n’ Savory Black Bean Quinoa Salad

Once again, dear readers, I owe you my apologies for a lack of posts.  My excuse this time? I was out of the country. Thanks for bearing with me. I owe you another round of apologies because this recipe is one I made at the end of the summer when those luscious stonefruits were still abundant. This recipe would work well though with frozen mango and peaches, thawed and drained.

But when dealing with food this delicious, I’m sure you’ll forgive me. 🙂 I’ve never like black bean quinoa salads particularly. I found them boring. This flavor combination, though will win over just about anyone, if I do say so myself.

Ingredients

Total time: about 20-25 minutes

Serves 2-3

• 1/2 cup quinoa
• 1 cup vegetable broth (or use water and add 1/8 tsp salt)
• 1 tbs orange juice concentrate
• 1 tbs red wine vinegar
• 1 tbs toasted sesame oil
• 1-2 tbs lime juice
• 1/2 medium mango, diced (fresh, or about 1/2 cup frozen chunks, thawed and drained)
• 1 small ripe peach, diced (or about 1/2 cup frozen chunks, thawed and drained)
• 1 small avocado, diced
• 1 small shallot, diced
• 1 15-0z can black beans (or 1.5-2 cups cooked)
• 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes (or to taste)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• Dash of cumin, to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine quinoa and water or broth, and bring to  boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover pot, and simmer until all the liquid has been absorbed, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, chop the mango, peach, avocado, and shallot. Combine the orange juice concentrate, red wine vinegar, sesame oil, lime juice, red pepper flakes, cumin, and black pepper in a small bowl. Whisk until smooth. When the quinoa is done, combine all ingredients (quinoa, beans, chopped fruits, and dressing) in a bowl and mix well. Adjust seasonings to taste.

This is great served with tortilla chips, or as a burrito/taco filling, or over a bed of greens for a different take on a taco salad!