Black- Bean and Tomato Quinoa

If you're looking for an excellent source of protein...look to the ancient grain of quinoa. It is said to be the "mother of all grains" or "chisaya mama" as the Incas referred to it-they considered the crop, sacred. It's nutritional content consists of 12-18% protein, a perfect balance of essential amino acids, fiber, phosphorus and is high in iron and magnesium. Plus, its gluten-free!

Quinoa alone, has a rather unpalatable taste (kinda bitter). So, in order to digest the benefits of this ancient grain, I searched for recipes. There are so many wonderful ways to prepare it but I settled in on a combination of fresh ingredients to create a southwest style side dish/dip.

There are many steps to follow when cooking quinoa from its natural state so to save time I actually purchased a box of it that was pre-rinsed. The box usually contains about 2 cups which makes enough to serve at least 12-15 people but you can easily cook 1 cup, to serve just your family.

-I prepared the quinoa according to the box as the 2 cup recipe and added 2 cans of black beans (rinsed thoroughly and drained) - or you can use the same amount of ounces from dry black beans prepared accordingly.

-Then I added 8 chopped scallions, about 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, 3 to 4 jalapeño peppers (chopped) and 2 diced fresh tomatoes.

-All of these ingredients, combined- will get tossed with a lime zest sauce. To prepare this just combine 4 tsp. of lime zest, 4 tbsp. of fresh lime juice, 4tbsp. of melted and cooled unsalted butter, 2 tbsp. of vegetable oil, 2 tsp. of sugar, 1tsp. of salt and 1/2tsp. of black pepper.

After everything has been combined then you can add more salt and pepper to taste to your liking. Oh and at the last minute, I added feta cheese. SO good!

This colorful recipe makes an amazing side dish to complement a Mexican dinner OR fill a soft tortilla with it for a healthy taco and perhaps some guacamole and sour cream inside the shell with it. YUM! OR...serve it as a dip with tortilla chips! Keep it fresh in a closed container inside the fridge and pull it out as is, when its meal time. I promise you, the next day leftovers are EVEN better as the lime sauce has seasoned within the quinoa to just bite your taste buds! SO GOOD!

ENJOY! Remember to just cut the ingredients in half if you're just preparing 1 cup of quinoa.