Black Bean and Corn Quinoa

 Quinoa (pronounced: keen-wa) is delicious and incredibly good for you. It is like rice but has a similar texture to couscous. It soaks up the flavor of whatever you cook it with. But the best part about quinoa is that each little grain is packed chalk full of EVERY essential amino acid our body needs.... which translates to lots of great protein with not a lot of fat. It is easy to digest and makes a great baby food (my next baby is getting quinoa made like cream of wheat...yum!). It is grown predominately in Bolivia and they are currently doing research to use quinoa as a way to fight world hunger (Jared actually worked on this as an undergrad at BYU... pretty awesome, I was jealous). With that said, it can be pricey. I bought my bag in NYC last summer for a great price and am still going through it. It goes a long way and lasts a long time. We make this dish 2-3 times a month and still have half the bag.

 So... if I haven't convinced you that quinoa is worth the extra trip to the store, you can use rice as a substitute 

(you may have to increase the seasoning).

Black Bean and Corn Quinoa

1 teaspoon olive oil

1/2 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped

2/3 cup uncooked quinoa

3/4 cups vegetable (or chicken) broth

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

dash of cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes (I omit this when serving kids)

salt and pepper to taste

3/4 cup frozen corn kernels

1 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 Tbs. lime juice

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until  opaque.

Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes,
Stir frozen corn and black beans into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in cilantro and lime.

Serve with Chile Lime Pulled Pork with fresh tomatoes, avocados, cilantro, lime, lettuce, cheese, sour cream and Homemade Flour Tortillas 

 

simple

inexpensive
 healthy...

and DELIGHTFUL