Front Burner

I love seeing so many new recipes out there involving quinoa.  What an amazing little grain (and tasty too!) packed with protein and nutrients.  So when I wanted something different to serve with my chicken fajitas, I remembered pinning this recipe on Pinterest and thought it looked like the perfect pairing.  And while the fajitas were delicious, this beautifully colored protein packed salad was what had me going back for seconds.  I took my first bite and announced  to my family (rather shamefully with a mouthful of food) "oh my gosh, this is amazing! you're going to love it!" But I really had to sit and savor the beauty for a minute too.  I mean, look at all those colors.  Almost too pretty to eat!  It's a wonderful side dish for really any main course meat.  Or eat it for lunch on its own.  But pair it with a mexican main dish (tacos? fajitas? burritos?) and you won't be disappointed.

*original recipe from mysaladrecipes.com*

Southwest Quinoa Salad
1/2 cup quinoa
1 cup water
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 small mango, diced
1 small red bell pepper, diced
1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
2 green onions thinly sliced
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger (or 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger)
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch of cayenne pepper

Toast the dry quinoa by placing it in a small saucepan over medium-low heat and stirring until it becomes fragrant and begins to crackle (about 3-5 minutes.)  Rinse quinoa under cold running water and drain through a fine mesh sieve.  Return to saucepan with 1 cup water.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.

While quinoa is cooking, mix remaining ingredients through green onions in a medium bowl.  When quinoa is done, add to bowl and toss all ingredients together.  Mix remaining ingredients together and pour over salad.  Toss to coat.