Black-Bean and Tomato Quinoa

By Mother_Daniel

Lime! What better partner for black-beans and fresh tomato? 5-star! The second time I made this, I doubled it and have since.

Serve as a warm salad, a room temp salad, or as a main course with the addition of pre-cooked chicken cut into strips served along side or cut into chunks and added to the quinoa.

Ingredients

• 2 t. Grated lime zest
• 2 T. Fresh lime juice
• 2 T. Unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 T. Vegetable oil
• 1 t. Sugar
• 1 (14- to 15-ounce) Can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 Medium tomatoes, diced
• 4 Scallions, chopped
• 1/4 C. Chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 C. Quinoa
• 4-5 qt. Water
• 2- 2 1/2 T. Salt (1 tablespoon salt for each 2 quarts water)

Preparation

Step 1

Whisk together lime zest and juice, butter, oil, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl and set aside.

Wash quinoa in 3 changes of cold water in a bowl, draining in a sieve each time.

Cook quinoa in a medium pot of boiling salted water (1 tablespoon salt for 2 quarts water), uncovered, until almost tender, about 10 minutes.

Drain in sieve, then set sieve in same pot with 1 inch of simmering water (water should not touch bottom of sieve).
Cover quinoa with a folded kitchen towel, then cover sieve with a lid (don’t worry if lid doesn’t fit tightly) and steam over medium heat until tender, fluffy, and dry, about 10 minutes. Remove pot from heat and remove lid.Let stand, still covered with towel, 5 minutes.

Add quinoa to dressing and toss until dressing is absorbed, then stir in remaining ingredients. Salt and pepper to taste.