On The Menu: Black Bean & Tomato Quinoa

I cannot get enough of this salad lately.
It's light, easy to make, and packed with filling protein.
Quinoa + black beans for the win!

Oh and did I mention that it practically doesn't have a scent? That's especially appealing to this pregnant person.

Over the past two months I learned that strong-smelling foods were my enemy. I'd get 15 minutes into preparing a meal and the smell would be so overwhelming that I couldn't finish cooking! Food and smell aversions are no joke, people. It actually became pretty comical by the middle of the first trimester: we'd meal plan at the beginning of the week and then realize by Thursday that all the meals had been total failures because I couldn't handle the smells.

So we turned to a lot of cold dishes. It was the only way to make sure that my sweet husband didn't end up eating cold cereal again for dinner. Or toast. We've been eating a lot of toast lately.

Anyway, we found this recipe about 4-5 years on Epicurious and absolutely love it. In the past, we typically made it as a side to this Fish Taco recipe - which is amazing - totally recommend it. Both recipes have cilantro & onion and just go so well together.

However, fish tacos have been out lately, for obvious smelly reasons. So we've been making this salad solo, or as a side to grilled (outside) chicken. And it always seems to make enough to have fabulous leftovers for lunch the next day.

Black Bean & Tomato Quinoa

Recipe adapted from Epicurious

Ingredients

2 tsp grated lime zest

juice from 1-2 limes* 

(*depending on size & how tangy you want the dish. I  typically use 2 small limes)

2 tbsp butter, melted and cooled

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp sugar

1 cup quinoa (uncooked)

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

1 bunch of green onions, chopped

1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions

Dressing: 

Whisk together lime zest and juice, butter, oil, sugar, and s&p in a large bowl.

Quinoa:

Stir 2 cups water + 1 cup quinoa in a pot & bring to a boil. Let boil for 10 minutes.

Partially cover and reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes until water is mostly absorbed. 

Remove from heat, put a paper-towel between the pot and the lid, and let sit for 10 minutes.

Add quinoa to dressing and toss until dressing is absorbed.

Then stir in remaining ingredients (beans, tomatoes, onions, and cilantro) and s&p to taste.