Quinoa Salad With Black Beans, Corn, Red Peppers and Pineapple

Quinoa Salad With Black Beans, Corn, Red Peppers and Pineapple – It’s so tasty, so colorful and so easy. I love the crunch of the red pepper alongside the sweetness of the pineapple and the corn.  It’s perfect for a side salad or a main meal.

Lately, I’ve been experimenting with all kinds of ways to use quinoa.  It’s so versatile! Quinoa cooks up faster than most other grains and I cook it just like I’d cook rice.  It’s gluten free, cholesterol free, vegan and vegetarian plus it’s got more protein than any other grain.

The other evening I made this Quinoa Salad with Black Beans, Corn, Red Peppers and Pineapple!

I found Tricolor Quinoa at our new Trader Joe’s which I used, but you could easily use any other quinoa.  I added black beans, corn, red peppers, tomatoes and sweet pineapple chunks.  Then, I mixed up vinaigrette with lemon juice, olive oil, cumin, and chili powder and stirred it in.  It was so tasty, so colorful, and so easy. I loved the crunch of the red pepper alongside the sweetness of the pineapple and the corn.  It’s perfect for a side dish or a main meal.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup quinoa

2 cups water

pinch of salt

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup corn

1 large red pepper, seeded and diced

1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half

1 cup diced pineapple

2 Tablespoons freshly chopped mint

FOR THE VINAIGRETTE

4 Tablespoons olive oil

3 Tablespoons lemon juice

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

DIRECTIONS

First, rinse the quinoa using a strainer under cold, running water.

Put the quinoa into a medium saucepan and add the water and salt and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until all water is absorbed, about 10-12 minutes.  when the quinoa is done, the grain will appear soft and translucent.

Remove from the stove and transfer the quinoa to a large bowl and let cool.

Prepare the vinaigrette by whisking together the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, spices, salt and pepper.

When the quinoa has cooled, add the black beans, corn, red pepper and tomatoes.  Stir in the vinaigrette and add the pineapples and sprinkle with the fresh mint.