Black Bean Quinoa Salad with Mango

This has been a staple of my entertaining table for the past two summers. A delicious Black Bean Quinoa Salad with creamy avocado and tangy sweet mango, this dish is definitely a crowd-pleaser! The dish is rounded out with some earthiness brought by baby spinach and cilantro and finished with lemon and chili powder. Filling, but not heavy, this Black Bean Quinoa Salad is absolutely mouthwatering on a summer’s day.

This dish is inspired by a couple of different recipes I came across in my habitual perusing of recipes online. I was looking for a fresh, but hearty and protein providing side to go with my favourite roasted (or BBQed) vegetable wraps. This provides a fitting accompaniment thanks to the cilantro, black beans and chili flavour.

Not very experienced with Quinoa? Don’t be intimidated. Quinoa is a breeze to cook – much easier than rice. Simply add the quinoa and water to a pot, bring to a boil, cover and lower heat to simmer for 5 minutes and then remove from heat and let stand for another 15 minutes. TYou’ll have perfectly cooked and slightly fluffy grains.

This Black Bean Quinoa salad also keep really well in the fridge. So, don’t worry about making too much. It’s a delicious lunch and packs will in a lunch box since it’s not too wet and saucy.

Enjoy!

Black Bean Quinoa Salad

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Ingredients

  

Salad

• 1 CUP QUINOA
• 1 CAN BLACK BEANS Drained and rinsed
• 1 AVOCADO Peeled, cored and diced
• 1 MANGO Peeled, cored and diced
• 1 CUP BABY SPINACH Roughly chopped
• 1/2 CUP CILANTRO Washed and roughly chopped

Dressing

• 1 LEMON Juiced
• 1/4 CUP CANOLA OIL
• 1 TSP DIJON MUSTARD
• 1 TSBP CHILI POWDER
• SALT To taste

Instructions

 

• Add quinoa to a small pot with 2 cups of water over high heat. Bring to a boil, then lower to medium, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and leave the lid on for 15 minutes until all the water is absorbed and the quinoa is cooked and fluffy. Leave to cool (if you're in a rush, you can transfer to a plate and place in the fridge for a few minutes).
• Meanwhile, prep the beans, mango, avocado and spinach. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, add the lemon juice, oil, Dijon and chili powder. Whisk until emulsified.
• Once the quinoa is cooled, add the quinoa and other salad ingredients to the bowl with the dressing. Add the cilantro and toss well.