Black Bean and Quinoa Salad

As requested, here is the recipe for a black bean and quinoa salad that I got from a friend of a friend. Her name is Elizabeth Rider and you can read her blog, Whole Eating Blog, here. Enjoy!

Black Bean & Quinoa Salad
Prep Time: 15 min
Total Time: 20 min
Serves 4-6

Ingredients for the dressing:

• 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 tbsp Agave Nectar (or Honey, but I prefer Agave as it’s low-glycemic)
• 1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
• 1 Tsp Cumin
• 1 Clove Pressed Garlic
  

Ingredients for the Salad:

• 3/4 Cup Dry Quinoa
• 1 Can Whole Black Beans
• 1 Red Bell Pepper
• 1 Handful Cilantro
• 1 Bunch Green Onion (about 7-9 onions)

Instructions:

1. Combine all dressing ingredients in bowl and set aside to allow the garlic to diffuse.
2. Cook quinoa according to package instructions. (With whole grains in general, double the amount of water for the amount of grains you are cooking, combine water and grains in a pot, bring to a boil, then simmer until the water is cooked into the grains. In this case, 1.5 cups of water and 3/4 cup quinoa should take about 15-20 minutes to cook. Careful to not let it burn!)
3. While the quinoa is cooking, chop the red bell pepper and green onion into small pieces.
4. Drain and rinse the black beans. Make sure to give them a good run under the water and drain out completely.
5. Give the cilantro a medium chop.
6. Combine all ingredients and dressing and fold together. Salt and black pepper to taste. (Can be served warm or chilled, and keeps in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.)