Southwest Quinoa Salad

By Steve-3

Some notes about the recipe -- I find 8 green onions is way too many. I used 5 or 6 last time. (I've also substituted a red onion when I didn't have scallions, and it worked fine.) I use heirloom cherry or grape tomatoes halved, rather than larger tomatoes diced. The last couple of times I've made it, I've also added chopped green pepper, which I really like. Finally, I added a little more fresh lime juice than it calls for.

Ingredients

• DRESSING:
• 2 cups quinoa, rinsed well (soak for a few minutes, then drain in a fine strainer)
• 4 cups water
• 2 cans black beans, rinsed well
• 4 medium tomatoes, diced
• 8 green onions, chopped (including most of the green part)
• 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 heaping Tbsp. grated lime zest
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 6 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. maple syrup
• 1 tsp. sea salt (best: Original Crystal Himalayan Salt)
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Preparation

Step 1

Whisk together the lime zest and juice, olive oil, maple syrup, salt, and pepper in a serving bowl. Simmer the quinoa in water uncovered for about 10 min. Turn off the heat, cover, and let stand 10 min. Strain any excess water. Add quinoa to dressing and toss well, then stir in remaining ingredients (beans, tomatoes, scallions, cilantro).