Black Bean & Quinoa Salad

An easy meal-prep recipe from a fellow health coach.  Quinoa is an excellent protein source and you can find quinoa pre-cooked and frozen at most grocery stores for quick meal prep.

Ingredients

2 cups cooked quinoa (1 cup dry quinoa yields about 2 cups cooked)

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 clove garlic, crushed

Juice of one lime

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional, for heat)

1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained well

1 red bell pepper, chopped into quarter-inch pieces (about 1 cup)

6 green onions, roots removed, whites and part of the greens chopped (about 1 cup)

1 handful of cilantro, roughly chopped (about 1/3 cup)

Directions

1. Prepare the quinoa.

2. While the quinoa is cooking, whisk the olive oil, cumin, garlic, lime, salt and cayenne (if using) together in the bottom of a large bowl to let the flavors marry while you chop the veggies.

3. Rinse and drain the black beans, then chop the veggies; the key is to make the peppers and onions about the same size as the beans.

4. Add the cooked quinoa, beans and veggies to the bowl, and gently fold it all together with the dressing.

5. The quinoa can be warm, room temp, or cold when you make the dish. Regardless, I suggest letting it chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to let the flavors come together. It tastes best served room temperature or chilled.