Southwest Quinoa Salad

I have two recipes for southwest quinoa salad...no surprise, since it has many of my favorite foods. Yum. I went a little overboard with the herbs when I made this since I hate throwing away extra food, but, I'm going to tone it down a notch next time.

1 cup quinoa
1 3/4 cups water
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup mint, roughly chopped
1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
1 red pepper, diced
1 1/2 cups cooked black beans (or a 15 ounce can of beans, drained and rinsed)
1 cup corn kernels (fresh or canned)
1 large garlic clove, minced
1-2 juicy limes
1 tablespoon olive oil

Combine the quinoa, water, cumin, salt and pepper in a medium sized sauce pan and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and lower the heat to a simmer. Let cook until the quinoa is soft and water is absorbed, about 13-15 minutes. Remove from the heat and keep covered for 5 minutes. Uncover and let cool. The quinoa can be made a day ahead and kept in the fridge. Bring to room temperature before proceeding.

Place the quinoa in a large serving bowl. Add the mint, cilantro, onions, red pepper, beans, corn and garlic. Squeeze the juice of one lime in and drizzle in the olive oil. Stir gently, taste for additional lime juice, salt and pepper and add more if needed. Serve at room temperature.

Original recipe here

Alternate Southwest Quinoa Salad recipe

Taco Salad with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

My sister sent me a link to this recipe and a few others as part of a weekly dinner planning menu for 2 people/vegetarians. It has a bunch of good recipes, so I'd encourage you to check out the link below.

I am not one to cook every day after getting back from work (I probably cook only one weekday per week) so I just chose two of these to try. I also made the Risotto Primavera, which was interesting but didn't have much flavor. I had never made risotto before, and I'm glad I tried it, so now I know that it's a lot of effort! (Not difficult, but a lot of time standing over the stove.)

Anyway, this recipe was really easy and has a lot of my favorite foods. So, win-win!


2 flour tortillas
3 cups of romaine lettuce, chopped
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup black beans
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
15 cherry tomatoes, halved
½ avocado, chopped

Vinaigrette Ingredients:
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon cilantro, finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
½ tsp salt
Pinch of pepper


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using an oven safe, glass bowl, place bowl upside down on a baking sheet. Use hands to mold flour tortilla to bowl and bake for 10 minutes or until tortilla is golden brown. Repeat with second tortilla (or use two bowls).

While tortillas are baking, whisk together lime juice, olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper to form cilantro lime vinaigrette. Once tortillas are baked, fill shell with beans, corn, lettuce, tomatoes, pepper, cheese, avocado, and top with vinaigrette.


Original recipe here

Barley "Succotash"

I won't lie and say this actually tastes like succotash, but it's a pretty good, healthy substitute. I had never cooked barley before and this was a good start - and the recipe was pretty easy.


Ingredients:
4 tablespoons olive oil (DIVIDED - I forgot this....)
1 cup pearled or hulled barley
salt and pepper
2-1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 cup frozen lima beans
1 cup fresh or frozen corn
1/2 red or orange bell pepper, diced
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup parsley
1 tablespoon minced fresh tarragon (optional)
Directions:
1. Put 2 tablespoons of oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the barley and toast, stirring frequently, until lightly toasted and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stir in 2-1/2 cups water. Boil, then cover and reduce heat to low. Cook, stirring a couple of times to promote creaminess, until the water has nearly been absorbed, about 20 minutes for pearled barley, 30 to 40 minutes for hulled.

2. Put the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a deep skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until plump, about a minute. Add the beans and sprinkle with salt. Cover and cook, shaking the pan once or twice to prevent them from sticking, until just tender, about 5 minutes.

3. Stir in the corn, bell pepper, and scallion and cook for a minute or two. Stir in the barley and whatever cooking water remains in the pot (it should be only a tablespoon or two). Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened slightly and the succotash is creamy, another 5 minutes or so. Stir in the parsley and tarragon, then taste, adjust the seasoning, and serve.

(From "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian - Mark Bittman)

Vegan Quinoa and Black Beans

I have made this recipe a few times now, because it's really easy, and has all of my favorite ingredients: quinoa, black beans, corn, cilantro, lime juice, and garlic. It is also great with avocado on top - I've just found it difficult lately to get my avocados ripe at the same time that I'm making this recipe. Another reason this is one of my favorites is because most of the ingredients you can keep on-hand for a while and they tend to be ingredients that I have around for other recipes. Bottom line: this dish is easy and delicious, and perfect for making after a long day at work. 

Original recipe here