Quinoa with Black Beans and Cilantro

With my new found interest in clean eating, I'm discovering a plethora of new grains. First was (whole wheat) couscous, and now, quinoa! A friend has been bringing a quinoa dish to all our gatherings for quite some time now, and I finally asked her about it. Apparently quinoa needs to be washed, very well before cooking or it will give a bitter taste, so my friend highly recommended getting the prewashed variety. One quick trip to Whole Foods later, and I had myself some quinoa.


I was planning on some fish tacos, and thought this would be a good time to experiment, since quinoa itself is pretty plain and can be flavored a number of ways. Cilantro sounded like a good way to go. Then, Bon Appetit (thanks to Google) inspired the addition of black beans. Which ::sigh:: had to be replaced with red kidney beans when I realize we were out of black beans (OUT of black beans?? How does that happen?), and the white onion replaced with red (no idea what was running through my head whilst food shopping this week!). I switched out the water for some low sodium chicken stock, to add flavor. This quick side dish came out great and my husband, who has been very understanding of my culinary escapades, loved it as much as I did.

Quinoa with Black Beans and Cilantro
Source: Bon Appetit

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 cups chopped white onions (or red)
  
• 1 cup chopped red bell pepper (or not)
  
• 1 cup quinoa,* rinsed, drained
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (or coriander)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed, drained (or red kidney)
  
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided
• Crumbled Cotija cheese or feta cheese (optional)

Preparation

Heat oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and red pepper; sauté until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in next 4 ingredients. Add water; bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until quinoa is almost tender, about 14 minutes. Add beans and 1/4 cup cilantro; cook uncovered until heated through and liquid is fully absorbed, about 3 minutes. Transfer to bowl; sprinkle with 1/4 cup cilantro and cheese, if desired.

*A grain with a delicate flavor and a texture similar to that of couscous; available at natural foods stores.

Nutritional Information
One serving contains the following:
Analysis is based on using 1 ounce crumbled Cotija cheese per serving.
Calories (kcal) 391.35
% Calories from Fat 30.3
Fat (g) 13.16
Saturated Fat (g) 5.07
Cholesterol (mg) 25.23
Carbohydrates (g) 53.04
Dietary Fiber (g) 10.24
Total Sugars (g) 5.56
Net Carbs (g) 42.79
Protein (g) 16.20