Quinoa, Black Bean, and Mango Salad

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS? For a fresh-tasting salad featuring nutty quinoa, we combined the tiny seeds with a variety of fresh Mexican ingredients like mango, bell pepper, and avocado. Black beans made the salad heartier, and a simple but intense lime dressing gave the dish some bite. We like the convenience of prewashed quinoa; if you buy unwashed quinoa, rinse it and then spread it out over a clean dish towel to dry for 15 minutes before cooking.

SERVES: 6

INGREDIENTS:

• 1½ cups prewashed white quinoa
• 2¼ cups water
• Salt and pepper
• 5 tablespoons lime juice (3 limes)
• ½ jalapeño chile, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
• ¾ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• ⅓ cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
• 1 mango, peeled, pitted, and cut into ¼-inch pieces
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed
• 2 scallions, sliced thin
• 1 avocado, halved, pitted, and sliced thin

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Toast quinoa in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring often, until the quinoa is very fragrant and makes a continuous popping sound, about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in water and ½ teaspoon salt and bring to a simmer.
2. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer gently until most of the water has been absorbed and the quinoa is nearly tender, about 15 minutes. Spread the quinoa onto a rimmed baking sheet and let it cool for 20 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.
3. Process lime juice, jalapeño, cumin, and 1 teaspoon salt in a blender until the jalapeño is finely chopped, about 15 seconds. With the blender running, add the oil and cilantro and continue to process until smooth and emulsified, about 20 seconds.
4. Add the bell pepper, mango, beans, scallions, and lime-jalapeño dressing to the cooled quinoa and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, topping individual portions with avocado.

TIP:

PREPARING A MANGO

• Cut thin slice from 1 end of mango and rest mango on trimmed bottom. Cut off skin in thin strips, top to bottom.
• Cut down along each side of flat pit to remove flesh.
• Trim around pit to remove any remaining flesh. Cut or slice flesh as directed in recipe.