Summer = Salad

I don't usually follow the crowd. I am not a trend setter, and that's OK with me. But, I have now made two different recipes with quinoa. I think it's less about jumping on the "Trendy Foods Bandwagon" than it is about using up the bag of quinoa I bought.

But we did like this salad recipe I made when my favorite dietitian came to visit. She's the one that encouraged me to try the first quinoa recipe, Rock 'n' Roll Beef Wraps, which I've made twice now.

Quinoa (keen-wa) is one of those trendy foods that ends up on lists like the 10 Top Food and Health Trends in 2013. It's been a staple of peasants in the high Andes for more than 3,000 years, but now it's peaked the interest of American cooks. U.S. imports of Peruvian quinoa more than quadrupled between 2007 and 2011.  It is a pseudocereal rather than a true cereal or grain, and it packs 8 grams of protein in a cooked 1-cup serving.

The salad was unusual, and we liked the change of pace that it provided with the hot ham sandwiches I served with it. I had planned to make the salad again for harvest, but it didn't make it into the rotation before the combine breakdown.

It is an interesting mix of black beans, fresh veggies, quinoa and a tart homemade dressing. For me, it requires a little planning ahead, since I can't get a mango at my hometown grocery store. But I've already got my second mango and plan to make it again this week. Hope you enjoy it, too!

  Southwestern Black Bean, Quinoa & Mango Medley

Adapted from Skinnytaste blog

15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup cooked quinoa (according to package directions)
1 cup fresh or frozen corn
1 small red bell pepper, chopped
1 cup chopped fresh mango
1/4 cup finely chopped green onion
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 small jalepeno pepper, seeded and finely diced
Juice from 1 medium lemon or lime
1 1/2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
2 pkgs. sweetener (or to taste)
1/2 tsp. salt

Mix together the beans, quinoa, corn, bell pepper, mango, onion, cilantro and jalapeno in a mixing bowl. Whisk together all the remaining ingredients for dressing. Drizzle over the mixture; toss lightly. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serves 6. Serving size: 1 cup. Calories: 164. 4 g fat; 6 g protein; 27 g carbohydrates; 7 g fiber.

Note: The hardest part of this salad was preparing the mango because it's not a fruit I deal with very often. That big seed in the middle makes it tricky to maneuver, but it's worth the effort.

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I'm linked today to Ashley's What's In Your Kitchen Wednesday. Click on the link to see what else is cooking today!