Latest and Greatest Quinoa Recipe

If you thought the Black Bean and Tomato Quinoa recipe was good, hear me out.  Tim changed a few things and it turned out even BETTER!

If you've never tried quinoa and if you still need convincing, here are some amazing benefits:
- Quinoa is a complete protein with all of the 9 essential amino acids that your body needs.
- Quinoa contains more vitamins, nutrients and antioxidants than any other grain.
- Quinoa contains almost twice as much fiber as most other grains.
- Quinoa is high in protein, comparable to the protein levels in milk.
- Quinoa promotes healthy blood sugar levels.
- Quinoa is high in riboflavin, which promotes blood vessel expansion in the brain and reduces instances of migraine headaches.

Now that you're hooked {Chris Timpone}, let's get started!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups quinoa
1 cup sprouted mung beans (You can buy these at Whole Foods or a specialty food store)
1 1/2 cups cooked black beans, rinsed if canned
1 1/2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar (We use white wine vinegar because we have it on hand.)
1/2 cups cooked corn (cut from about 2 large ears), rinsed if canned
3/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
2 pickled jalapeño chilies, seeded and minced (wear rubber gloves)
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

For dressing:
5 tablespoons fresh lime juice, or to taste (fresh limes are preferred, but they are out of season right now so I bought a bottle of lime juice instead)
1 teaspoon salt
Ground pepper, to taste
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin, or to taste
1/3 cup olive oil

Toppings:
Sliced avocado
Cherry tomatoes, quartered
Cucumber, diced

Instructions:
1.  In a bowl wash quinoa in at least 5 changes cold water, rubbing grains and letting them settle before pouring off most of water, until water runs clear and drain in a large fine sieve. The quinoa has a coating on the outside of it that tastes bitter if not washed. If you bought pre-washed quinoa you can skip this step. 

2.  Cooking the quinoa is easy to do, but requires a few steps.  I'll try to illustrate with photos. First, bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil and cook quinoa for 10 minutes. Drain quinoa in sieve and rinse under cold water. 

Second, cover the quinoa in the sieve with a kitchen towel.

Third, set sieve over a saucepan of boiling water (quinoa should not touch water) and steam quinoa, covered with a kitchen towel and lid (doesn't have to be a tight fit), until fluffy and dry, about 10 minutes (check water level occasionally, adding water if necessary).  

Lastly, remove pot from heat and remove lid (not towel), letting quinoa steam for a few minutes to remove excess water and dry out quinoa.

3.  In a separate saucepan, cook sprouted mungbeans according to package directions.

4.  While quinoa and mungbeans are cooking, in a small bowl toss beans with vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.  Add corn, bell pepper, jalapeños and cilantro and toss well.

5.  Transfer quinoa and mungbeans to large bowl and combine.

6.  Make dressing: In a small bowl add lime juice, salt, and cumin.  Slowly add olive oil in a stream, whisking continuously to combine with lime juice.  Drizzle dressing over quinoa in large bowl and toss well.  Taste and add more vinegar, salt and/or lime juice if needed

7.  Serve quinoa with toppings listed above.

8.  Quinoa may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Serves: 4-6 as an entree or 8 as a side dish.  Enjoy!