Southwest Quinoa Salad

My good friend Debi turned me on to quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) some time ago, and I'm glad she did. I love anything - like orzo, rice or couscous - that you can doctor up with just about anything you have on hand. It makes for a quick, easy side dish that goes with just about any meal.

This salad is from the back of the Archer Farms quinoa package and had a great smokey, southwestern flavor.  It has definitely made into the rotation!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 1/2 C chicken stock
• 1 (15.5 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15.5 oz) can sweet corn, drained
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/4 C cilantro, chopped
• 3 Tbsp. lime juice
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, finely chopped

Method:

1. Cook quinoa according to package instructions, using stock in place of water.
2. Whisk cilantro, lime juice, olive oil, cumin, and chipotle in bottom of large bowl to combine.
3. Gently fold in beans, corn, and red bell pepper.
4. Stir in cooked quinoa. Toss to combine.
5. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Serve warm or chilled.

One of the best parts of this salad was how good it was for lunch the next day.