What's for Dinner?

Here's another quinoa dinner idea for Day 7. Cuz seriously, what do you do with that huge bag of Quinoa you just bought at Costco? That was my question a few months ago.

This one again from Jen's blog, although I changed it up a bit to make it simpler (as you can tell, I really like quick and easy recipes). We eat this dish a lot and LOOOVE it. My disclaimer is that again, McKay does not love it. It has beans. So good luck with that if you have a non-bean-lover. McKay usually just eats handfuls of cilantro on the nights we have this.... so, yeah, pretty bad, huh? But this is one of Spencer's favorite foods and you just can't find that kind of nutrition in a baby food jar!

Quinoa and Black Beans

1 chopped onion

3 cloves garlic

1 cup uncooked quinoa

1 1/2 cups veggie broth

1 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

salt/pepper to taste

1 cup frozen corn kernels

2 cans black beans

1 can diced tomatoes

juice of one lime

1/2 fresh cilantro

avocado

grated Monterrey Jack cheese (optional)

I make my quinoa earlier in the day in the rice cooker so it is ready when I am ready to cook dinner.

Then I use a little oil to saute the garlic and onions in a large skillet. Then mix the quinoa into the skillet with the broth and canned tomatoes (drained). Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Cook over low-med heat until most of the liquid is absorbed, then stir in the frozen corn & simmer a few minutes until heated through. Mix in black beans, cilantro, and lime juice. Garnish with avocado (it really makes it all taste so much more delicious and adds fat to fill you up). We eat it rolled up in whole-wheat tortillas and also top it with Monterrey Jack cheese, although you wouldn't do that if you were Vegan and the original recipe does not include cheese.