Tex Mex Quinoa Salad

As the school year commences, packing lunch may become a hassle, especially with the early morning starts of high schoolers. In the past year, I have been so busy with class scheduling that skipping a lunch period has become the norm. The only issue with this is that I get hungry throughout the day! In one my other posts, the Asian Style Quinoa Salad, I discussed with you a friend of mine who started packing quinoa meals that she could eat during class, no mess and no clean up necessary. So, for the start of this school year, I decided to kick off my lunch series with this Tex Mex style quinoa salad that is filling, nutritious, and delicious! The recipe is as follows:

Ingredients:

- 2 cups quinoa

- 4 cups water

- 3 mini cucumbers

- 1 cup cherry tomatoes

- 1 can black beans

- 2 red bell peppers

- 1/2 cup corn (fresh or canned is fine)

- 2 bunches scallion

- 1/4 cup cilantro leaves

DRESSING:

- juice of 2 limes

- 1/4 cup olive oil

- 1 tbsp. chili powder

- salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

The first step is to cook your quinoa. Bring the quinoa and water up to a boil and let it simmer on medium low with the cover on for about 15-20 minutes, or until all of the liquid is absorbed. During this time, chop up all of the vegetables into small bite size pieces. Tear off the cilantro leaves and give them a rough chop. Strain the black beans and rinse under water to remove any excess salt or liquid from the can. Once the quinoa is finished cooking, "fork" it until it is light and fluffy and add everything together into a large bowl. For the dressing, juice two limes, add 1 tablespoon of chili powder, sprinkle in salt and pepper, and slowly drizzle in olive oil until everything is emulsified. Add the dressing to the quinoa and vegetable mixture and stir to combine. Enjoy!