Quinoa Salad

I figured that the food at the shower was such a hit that I would post the recipes here. So this week, we're going to do a recipe week. I only have 4 recipes, so the rest of the week, I'll fill in with recipes that I really like (but those won't have pictures, boo) I don't have pictures of step by step, but everything I made was really easy, so I'll just post the after picture of what it should look like.

Before I post this, I would like to say that I got this from a close friend, and don't know what website she found it on.

ACTIVE: 30 MINTOTAL TIME: 2 HRS 45 MINSERVINGS: 8HEALTHYMAKE-AHEADVEGETARIANINGREDIENTS

12 ounces dried black beans, picked over and rinsed (I just used a can of black beans, and it worked great, you can even do a can and a half if you really like black beans)

Salt

1 cup quinoa, rinsed

3 tablespoons sherry vinegar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1 chipotle in adobo, minced

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

6 scallions, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced

1 small red onion, finely diced

1 yellow bell pepper, finely diced

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

 DIRECTIONS

In a large saucepan, cover the beans with cold water and bring to a boil. Cover and let stand off the heat for 1 hour (unless you're doing the canned and then you can skip this step)

(and this step, see how much easier it is if you just used canned? You get to skip two steps) Drain the beans. Return them to the pot and cover with 3 inches of water. Bring to a boil and simmer over low heat until tender, about 1 hour and 30 minutes; season generously with salt during the last 10 minutes. Drain and let cool

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine the quinoa with 2 cups of water and a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Cover the saucepan and simmer the quinoa over low heat until the water has been absorbed, about 15 minutes. Spread the quinoa on a plate and let cool.

In a large bowl, whisk the vinegar, soy sauce, lime juice and chipotle. Add the olive oil in a thin stream, whisking until blended. Add the black beans, quinoa, scallions, red onion, yellow pepper and cilantro. Season with salt, toss to combine and serve.

See, totally easy right? And this is your finished product, always a crowd pleaser and lasts in the fridge for a while, easy lunches too!