Quinoa? Yes, Please!

UPDATE: If you are coming back to this recipe, I don't know, to maybe make it or something, check out the update I made. 1 Tablespoon of salt in the water is WAY too much. The first time I made this I actually forgot to add the salt and so we just added some salt and pepper when all was said and mixed. The second time I added it and it's just WAY too much. It was too salty for me. Add less. Amen.

I found a new amazing recipe. I'm bummed because I simply cannot remember where I found it...online somewhere, on a day when I was looking on several sites for new recipes, just can't remember which one.

Anyway, my goal in looking for this recipe was two things:

1) I have been looking for more vegetarian meals to make for dinner. Not because we are becoming vegetarians - not at all. I love steak. A lot. Partially I recently realized that I really don't know how to cook dinner without involving meat somehow, partially some meals without meat can be super healthy (which I love), and meat can be just plain expensive sometimes. But I really love a good steak. Did I already say that? ;)

2) In my last issue of Real Simple magazine there was a section on the Top 30 Healthiest Foods to eat. It included things like blueberries and spinach, two things that we eat a lot, but then also had things like quinoa and kale. I tried cooking with quinoa once before, but it was not impressive. It was plain and bland and Steve told me he would prefer if we didn't have to eat it again. However, on my ever present quest for healthy meals and good food to feed my family, I couldn't ignore the fact that quinoa is one of the healthiest proteins available. That's right, it's a grain that is loaded with fiber, but is also a protein. Awesome.

So I found this recipe. It is so yummy, you just have to try it.

Quinoa Salad

FOR THE DRESSING:
5 Tablespoons Lime Juice
1 teaspoon Salt
1 whole Garlic Clove, Finely Minced
¼ cups Finely Chopped Fresh Cilantro
1 teaspoon Ground Cumin, Or To Taste
⅓ cups Olive Oil (I used Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
½ teaspoons Freshly Ground Pepper, to taste

FOR THE SALAD:
1-½ cup Red Quinoa NOTE: I did not use red, but the plain brownish one that is more readily available.
1 Tablespoon Table Salt, Um, don't add a tablespoon. Maybe 1 or 2 teaspoons? Add When Boiling Quinoa
1 can (14 Oz. Can) Black Beans, Drained, Rinsed
1-½ cup Corn Kernels, Fresh (I used frozen that I cooked for a few minutes)
1 cup Finely Chopped Colored Sweet Bell Peppers
1 whole Jalapeño Chilies, Seeded And Minced (wear rubber gloves - to be honest, this part totally scared me. I had never cooked with a jalapeno chili before. I didn't really want to put something in my mouth that I couldn't even touch while cutting up. I survived. It tasted awesome.)
¼ cups Finely Chopped Fresh Cilantro
¼ cups Finely Chopped Green Onions

Preparation Instructions

For the dressing:
In a small bowl whisk together lime juice, salt, minced garlic, chopped cilantro, and cumin and add oil in a stream, whisking. Add pepper to taste. Set aside.

For the salad:
NOTE: I also changed the cooking instructions for the quinoa. The original recipe had like three paragraphs of this special way to cook the grain which involved cheese cloth and first cooking and then steaming. Too much work. Just rinse the quinoa and cook according to the package instructions. Fluff quinoa with a fork and cool.

Combine in a large mixing bowl the beans, corn, remaining vegetables, herbs, and cooled quinoa (cooled to me was just not steaming, but it was still pretty warm). Toss gently with the dressing. Can be prepared a day ahead for flavors to combine. Serve at room temperature (when we had it as leftovers the next day we warmed it up a little bit).

Steve loved it. For real. :)