Red Quinoa and Black Bean Salad

Adapted from Epicurious to what I had available today. Ella ate half of mine and then a plate of her own. She said, "It's the best food you've ever made!" I made it without the banana peppers but will be adding them when I have it for lunch tomorrow.

1 1/2 cups red quinoa
1 1/2 cups cooked black beans, rinsed if canned (1 can)
1 1/2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
1 1/2 cups cooked corn (cut from about 2 large ears)
3/4 cup finely chopped green bell pepper (1 medium)
2 pickled banana peppers, seeded and minced (wear rubber gloves)
finely chopped fresh coriander (ie cilantro which I hate so I used a little fresh basil and fresh parsley instead)


Dressing:
5 tablespoons fresh lime juice, or to taste
1 teaspoon salt
1-2 teaspoons ground cumin, or to taste
1-2 tsp fresh ground coriander seeds
1 tbsp avocado honey
1/3 cup olive oil

Put quinoa with 3 cups water in saucepan. Bring to boil, then turn down heat and simmer 15 mins until all water is absorbed.

While quinoa is cooking, in a small bowl toss beans with vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.

In a large bowl, make dressing: whisk together lime juice, salt, honey, coriander seeds and cumin and add oil in a stream, whisking.

Add beans, corn, bell pepper and herbs and toss well. Add quinoa and toss some more. Salad may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring salad to room temperature before serving.

The result:


Adapted from http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Quinoa-and-Black-Bean-Salad-12245#ixzz0wAJMpbFf

Mexicali Corn

Happy Cinco de Mayo! I'm posting this early so you can get the necessary ingredients, should you wish to make this next Monday. Do we really care about Cinco de Mayo? Not really, but it is celebrated with verve (and mas cervesa) here in SoCal and it's an excuse to make some yummy food. This is a quick and easy recipe for a side dish made with ingredients that you probably already have.

4 Tbs (60 ml) butter or olive oil
1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1/4 tsp (2 ml) cumin seeds or ground cumin
3 cups (750 ml) frozen corn kernels
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Melt the butter or oil in a large skillet over moderate heat and saute the bell peppers, onion, and cumin seed until the vegetables are tender but not brown, about 5 minutes. Add the corn, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until the corn is tender, about 5 minutes. Serves 4 to 6.