Recipe: Quinoa and Avocado Salad

    Tonight I was grilling and cooking with my hubby and thought, "Man, this is a great recipe!  I should share this!"  Even though my blog hasn't included recipes before, I think that this recipe is worthy of sharing here.  It is a delicious vegan salad that is great right when you make it and days later for lunch.

    Another thing that I like about this recipe besides its wonderful flavor is the versatility of ingredients.  The only non-negotiables are quinoa and avocado.  From there you can get creative.

After the jump, you can read the full directions to make one of my favorite recipes.


Here is what you need to collect to make it exactly as I have.
-1 cup of quinoa (I got mine from Trader Joe's)
-2 avocados
-about 15 cherry tomatoes
-1 medium red pepper
-1 small red onion
-1 can of black beans
-1 lime
-salt & pepper
-chipotle hot sauce

First you are going to get your quinoa going.  Quinoa is a grain-like seed that has a bit of a crunchy texture.  It's great because it is gluten free and a complete protein.  Unlike rice, you boil one cup of quinoa with two cups water all at once.  Once you bring the water/quinoa mix to a boil, bring the heat down to low and cover for about 10 minutes or until all of the liquid is absorbed.

While the quinoa is simmering, you are going to cut up all of your veggies.  Dice the red pepper and red onion.  Cut the cherry tomatoes into quarters.

Pick out a large serving bowl and put all of the cut up veggies into it. (You know I'm using my Pyrex.)

To make cutting up your avocado easy, cut the two avocados in half and twist apart.  Then score each half vertically and horizontally.   Then take a spoon and scoop out the avocado.  The pieces will separate and be just the right size.

Now that the avocado is in the bowl, quarter the lime and squeeze the juice from one of the quarters.  It will help the avocado stay nice and green.

Rinse off your black beans to the bowl.  You're almost there!

Remove the quinoa from heat and let it cool for about 15 minutes.  You can use a fork to stir it and fluff it as it cools.   Scoop the quinoa into the bowl and add salt, pepper, chipotle hot sauce, and the juice of the rest of the lime to taste.



Stir it up, and voila!  Delicious!  A real crowd pleaser.  I will definitely be bringing this dish to barbecues this summer.