We have been ordering take out a little more than i would like to admit. My sweet boy has been pretty sick with a tooth infection that went south over nap time last Sunday and i had to rush him to the ER. All is well, but cooking was quite far from my mind this past week. I was so worried about little man that I left hubby in charge of dinner, which meant fast food and anything take out became our staple around here. Not because he's a bad cook, but we were both so spent. Im glad to say rob is doing much better and I am back in charge of meal time! woohoo! I told cal to pick a theme and I was gonna cook. Mexican food was the winner. I bought the typical ingredients to make some fajitas for Cal but then I remembered this awesome recipe I found a while back that included a black bean fajita quinoa salad. It looked yummy and served as my inspiration for the dish I'm sharing on here. I must say, it turned out mighty delicious! Rob and cal even used the quinoa in their taco! score:)
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 bag of quinoa
- 1 jar broth (chicken or vegetable)
- 1tbs butter
- Corn- either canned or frozen.
- 1 can beans. The original recipe called for black beans but i used some kidney beans i had left over
- 1 package of greens salad mix
- fresh cilantro
- lime
- sour cream (i use simple truth cultured sour cream)
- spices and herbs of your choice
- dressing of your choice. i used cilantro avocado by bolthouse farms
METHOD:
rinse 1 cup quinoa in a fine mesh strainer. Place in saucepan and cover with 2 cups broth and fresh herbs of your choice; chopped garlic, basil, etc. boil on high then reduce heat and simmer until broth is fully absorbed, about 15 to 20 minutes. fluff with fork. I like to add a little bit of butter at this point too, just to give it a smooth texture and enhance the flavor. Season with salt, pepper.// Rinse corn and beans in a strainer then stir both into the quinoa. Voila! the hardest part is done. Plate salad mix greens onto bowl similar to the one you see here. scoop quinoa mixture onto the top and add lime juice, cilantro, sour cream, and dressing of your choice. i added red pepper flakes and picante sauce to it as well. Just have fun with it! :)
This really is an amazing dish. You can serve it on a bed of greens like I did here or you could stuff it inside a soft taco. Its a great substitute if your not a huge meat eater due to its high protein content. It contains all nine essential acids making it a complete protein. Quinoa is also famous for its fiber content which can help prevent heart disease by lowering unhealthy cholesterol levels, and promote weight loss. Its also high in minerals such as iron, magnesium, and manganese. Its a true nutrition rockstar!
