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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
