April 07, 2011
So today was my first time cooking quinoa and it came out absolutely delicious! I love that quinoa is a complete protein grain and provides all the essential amino acids in a balanced way. I served it with tempeh tofu on the side for myself and marinated cilantro lime chicken for my husband. I had found this black bean recipe on the internet, but modified it with spices and a few other items and here it is below:
Ingredients:
- 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
- 1/3 cup uncooked dry quinoa: (I bought the Ancient Harvest Traditional brand from Whole Foods)
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, depending on spice level desired, we like it spicy so added more
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels, (the organic sweet corn from Trader Joe’s is yummy)
- 1/2 can (15 ounce can) unsalted black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1/2 tomato, chopped
- scallions, chopped for garnish
Directions:
- Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned.
- Mix the quinoa into the saucepan and cover with most of the vegetable broth. Reserve about 1/4 of the broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes. During simmer time, add in the rest of the vegetable broth.
- Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans, tomatoes and cilantro.
- Garnish with the scallions before serving.
Enjoy!
Serves: 3-4 people.
