Southwest Quinoa & Black Beans

This is my favorite quinoa-based dish to date. A great way to spice up vegetarian nite!

Southwest Quinoa & Black Beans Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 1 – 15 oz can low sodium black beans
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
• 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 1 tsp dark chili powder
• 3/4 tsp pink Himalayan salt
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1/8 tsp ground black pepper

Directions

1. Rinse quinoa using a fine mesh strainer, drain well, then set aside.
2. Drain and rinse 1 – 15 oz can low sodium black beans, then set aside.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat.
4. Add EVOO and heat, until shimmering.
5. Add chopped 1 red bell pepper and 1/2 yellow onion, then saute 5 mins until soft.
6. Add 1 cup rinsed and drained uncooked quinoa, 1 tsp dark chili powder, 3/4 tsp pink Himalayan salt, 1/4 tsp ground cumin, 1/4 tsp paprika, and 1/8 tsp ground black pepper.
7. Stir until quinoa is well-coated.
8. Toast quinoa (cook, stirring occasionally), until bell pepper and onions are starting to caramelize – up to 10 mins.
9. Pour in 2 cups water and deglaze skillet, if needed.
10. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low.
11. Cover and simmer (where the water is just bubbling) – this is lo on my front left burner – for 20 mins, until water has been completely absorbed.
12. Turn off the heat and let sit with the lid on to steam for 5 mins.
13. Fluff quinoa.
14. Add 1 – 15 oz can rinsed and drained low sodium black beans and stir gently to combine.
15. Put the cover back on then allow to steam for 5 minutes to allow beans to
    warm slightly.
16. Top with 1/4 cup chopped cilantro.

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories	239
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 12.6g	16%
Saturated Fat 1.7g	9%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 7902mg	344%
Total Carbohydrate 26.6g	10%
Dietary Fiber 5.6g	20%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 6.8g
Vitamin D 0mcg	0%
Calcium 37mg	3%
Iron 2mg	13%
Potassium 312mg	7%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice.

#LactoVeg #LactoOvoVeg #LowFat #OvoVege #Vegan