Southwestern Quinoa Salad

I love this excellent plant based source of protein!

You Will Need:

1 1/2 cups water
1 cup dry quinoa
1/4 tsp salt
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup diced tomatoes
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
juice of 1 lime
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt to taste

1) Place water, quinoa, and salt in a large sauce pan over high heat and bring to a boil.

2) Cover and let boil 1 minute before reducing heat to low. Let simmer on low for 15 minutes.

3) Remove quinoa from heat and let sit for 5 minutes.

4) Add all remaining ingredients and stir to combine.

5) Season with salt to taste before serving warm, room temperature or chilled.

Prep Time: 15 min Cook Time: 20 min Serves: 6

Calories: 245 Fat: 9g Protein: 9g Carbs: 34g 7g

Choose This! Quinoa is a great gluten-free grain-like edible seed usually sold in the pasta aisle in little green boxes. An excellent plant based source of protein, quinoa actually provides all 9 essential amino acids. Look for a box that says the quinoa is pre-rinsed or simply let regular quinoa soak in water for 15 minutes, drain, and rinse before cooking.