Black-Bean Quinoa Salad

I cooked again for my mother. This time I made black-bean quinoa salad. She loved it and wants the recipe!

Ingredients

Makes 4 cups

For the dressing:

2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

For the quinoa:

1 cup dry quinoa

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1/2 cup chopped red onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 bay leaf

2 cups water or vegetable stock

1 12-oz can black beans, drained

1 large tomato, diced

1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

For the dressing:

Whisk all ingredients together and set aside

For the quinoa:

-Place the quinoa in a sieve and rinse under cold running water. Drain and set aside. (You can also buy the pre-washed and skip this step)

-Heat oil in saucepan over medium-low heat and add onion. Saute until transparent. Add garlic and saute another minute.

-Add quinoa, bay leaf and water or stock. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for approximately 20-30 minutes (about 15 for pre-washed) or until quinoa is tender and fluffy. Remove from the heat.

-Remove bay leaf. Add black beans, tomato, cilantro and dressing then stir gently. Add salt and pepper if desired.