Quinoa and Black Beans (GREAT Make-Ahead Lunch Idea!)

Another use for Quinoa!!

I packaged mine up for lunches, but this would be an awesome side dish with Mexican food- it is tasty, healthy, and quick to make!

Here's what you need:

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

3/4 cup uncooked quinoa

1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup frozen corn kernels

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained (there are two cans in the photo, I decided to only use one in the recipe)

Heat the oil in a medium sauce pan, and cook the onion and garlic until soft and lightly browned. Then add the (THOROUGHLY RINSED- or it will be bitter) quinoa and stir it up with the onion and garlic. Then add the chicken broth (if you'd like to make this vegetarian, you could use water or vegetable broth), cumin, cayenne, and salt and pepper, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, and cover. Cook for 15 or 20 minutes, or until the water is absorbed.

Then add the corn and black beans and cook until the corn is heated through...

Then turn off the heat and add the cilantro. That's it!!

This is SO good!! I think it would be GREAT in a tortilla with some shredded chicken and cheese, or scooped up with tortilla chips..... or just by itself!!

Packaged up for lunches...

I got this recipe from http://www.allrecipes.com/

DINNER TONIGHT:

~Quick and Spicy Tomato Soup (heated in the crockpot- made ahead on the last freezer day) (Here's a link to the post with the recipe: Tomato Soup)

~Watermelon and honeydew melon

~Amish White bread from baking day (Here's a link to the post with the recipe Amish White Bread)