I’ll let you in on a little secret: I’m not much for trying new things. I pretty much have my old standbys, in food and everything else. I love to experiment with those old tried and true foods, but I’m always hesitant when it comes to trying new foods. So when a BFF brought over a bowl of quinoa a couple of weeks ago, I have to say I wasn’t lovin’ the idea of trying it out. Two days later, out of a desire to show appreciation for my friend, I heated up the hot quinoa and black beans salad and tried it. YUM, YUM, YUM!!!!
Quinoa is fabulous!!!! For those of you not in the know, Quinoa is a high-protein, gluten-free grain. It tastes a bit like wild rice, only with a more nutty flavor. So I made up my own little Quinoa and Black Beans creation for ya’ll.
Quinoa and Black Beans
1 cup dry red organic quinoa
4 T. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 garlic cloves, pressed
1 – 15oz. can of Organic Black beans, rinsed and drained
1 green pepper, chopped
1 cup Homemade Pico de Gallo
1/2 t. ground cumin
1/4 t. chili powder
salt and pepper to taste
Prepare Quinoa according to package directions and set aside. In a large fry pan, heat up the olive oil and add the garlic and green pepper, browning them just a bit. Add cooked Quinoa and stir thoroughly. Add the Pico de Gallo, black beans and spices, and stir thoroughly. Heat for 5 minutes or so, stirring often, until everything is plenty warm. Serve and enjoy!!
The great thing about this dish is its versatility. You can serve it on top of lettuce leaves, as we’ve done here (homegrown lettuce leaves, I might add 🙂 ), you can serve with fajitas or tacos, or even simply with tortilla chips or in a wrap. It’d also go great with a Mexican-seasoned chicken breast. 2 out of our 4 kids absolutely loved it, the other 2 could take it or leave it. That’s pretty good odds for such a healthy dish. 😉
Photo Credit: Photo by 9-year-old daughter 🙂
We don’t eat meat so this is my kind of recipe. Thanks!
Yes, it’s a perfect meatless recipe. 🙂
I do like quinoa but skip the black beans. Just can’t do them. I’m going to experiment with how long you can store quinoa so I can have it already cooked to toss on a salad.
Funny, Kath: beans are getting harder for me as I get older too. The organic ones in this recipe didn’t seem to bother me, though. I found this article on quinoa storage you might like: http://www.eatbydate.com/grains/quinoa/
Hey Laurie, thanks for the link. I’ll definitely pop over there and check it out.
We LOVE quinoa! We also make a quinoa and black beans dish, only we put frozen corn and cilantro in ours. Soooo good!! And healthy. We have a rotating list of 3-4 different quinoa dishes we make. That’s great that your kids like it too!!
I’d love to have some more ideas about quinoa. You should share some of your recipes!
Trying this! I love quinoa. I’ve only known about it for a few years.
Glad to hear you are utilizing it and loving it, Kalen. Good stuff. 🙂
yumm! Looks good Laurie. I recently tried a lettuce wrap and am obsessed. So much tastier and fresher than a tortilla. Perfect for summer : ) Have a great weekend.
LOVE lettuce wraps!! They are a refreshing break from tortilla wraps.
Quinoa and couscous are two staples in my diet. I’ve mixed quinoa with various beans and usually do a sautéed vegetable medley to along with it. I like adding a touch of ground chipotle to add spice and just a hint of smoke flavor. It’s a wonderful grain!
Ooh, chipotle sounds like a wonderful addition to quinoa. Glad to hear you’ve found such a great health food friend in those grains. They are new to us and we are looking to experiment with them more. Thanks for the comment. 🙂
I love quinoa and black beans, but I never thought to combine the two. Great idea!
We think they go well together. 🙂
This reminds me of the quinoa chili I shared on my blog, I LOVE quinoa and I love finding awesome ways to incorporate it into mine and my family’s diet. I am definitely making this this weekend since I am also making homemade pico (at my hubby’s request) for Father’s Day. Happy Father’s Day to Rick this weekend!!! I hope you all frugally spoil him! 🙂
Glad to hear it! You’ll have to let me know what you think. I’ll bet a hint of fresh lime juice would compliment it well too. Happy, happy Father’s day to Mr. FB too. Frugal and fun is definitely on the menu here. 🙂
That looks pretty good and I love black beans. Will have to try this soon 🙂
Let me know what you think, Kayla. Have a great weekend. 🙂
This looks yummy! I’ll be adding this to my meal plan 🙂
Yay! Let me know how it goes over, Michelle. 🙂
I am truly a backwoods idiot because I never can remember how to pronounce quinoa. Is it like keen-wah? I’ve seen it but never bought it, but I love wild rice, so I might now. One thing I have discovered in my quest to eat healthier is lentils. I’m not sure why I never at them before, but I don’t much care for beans, so this is a great substitute.
LOL, me neither, Kim. I have no idea. 🙂 Yes, my nearing-50 body doesn’t seem to like beans quite as much as it used to, so this is great.
I need to try quinoa, I hear so much about it!! Thanks for sharing the recipe!! 🙂
Let me know what you think, Stephanie. I’m certain you can come up with some awesome and frugal recipes for it. 🙂
Ummm….Yum.
This looks like a fantastic dish…will be making it this weekend. Thanks for the tip!
Brian
Great, Brian!! Hope you enjoy it. 🙂
I love to try new things, and I definitely haven’t heard of quinoa. I hope they sell it in the grocery stores…going to have to try this one!
They do, Joshua! I found ours at Walmart.
Wow that’s a protein powerhouse right there! It certainly would be better than just eating chicken like I seem to do daily. 🙂 I get stuck in such a rut.
No kidding!!! I’m the same way, Tonya – I don’t do very well in trying new things, but I’m committed to breaking the routine. 🙂
I love black beans and cook them up once a week in the crock-pot along with a crock-pot of chickpeas. I’ll be honest and say I’ve tried quinoa before and I didn’t fancy it. I don’t know if it was the way it was prepared. This sounds good though.
You should try it this way, Mr. CBB. I’d be curious to see if you liked it. 🙂
This is great for me. I’m not a big meat eater and I have one vegan daughter and one vegetarian daughter. Thanks, Laurie! Enjoy your weekend!
Sounds like a perfect dish to serve at a family gathering, Deb! 🙂
Great recipe! Quinoa is also delicious in pancakes… and as someone who is a horrible cook, let me tell you it’s a pretty easy recipes to pull off!
Interesting, Mel!! I’d never thought of putting it in pancakes. We’ll have to try that.
As a vegetarian, quinoa is a staple in my pantry. So simple and so nutritious. Glad you’ve discovered it’s awesomeness for yourself, enjoy!
It is indeed awesome, Stefanie! We’re excited to see what else we can make with it. 🙂
What great timing! I was just going to make my first Quinoa dish this weekend. I’m highly optimistic now after reading about your experience.
Awesome, Brian!! Let me know how you like it. 🙂