Recipe: Cilantro-Lime Quinoa with Black Beans & Kale

This absolutely delicious recipe is brought to us by Sam from the wonderful blog Quantam Vegan.

Cilantro-Lime Quinoa with Black Beans & Kale

Ingredients
1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups water or vegetable broth
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 or 2 small hot chilis, seeded & minced
3/4 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped red pepper
2 15oz. cans black beans, drained (reserve liquid)
3 cups kale, chopped
1 cup fresh tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 tsp dried cilantro
1/2 tsp ground cumin
lime juice to taste
black pepper to taste

Directions:

1) Rinse the quinoa and place it in a pot with the water or broth.  Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat and cook until the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes.

2) While the quinoa is cooking, heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat.  Add the garlic and chilis and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add the onions and pepper, cover and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.

3) Add the beans, cilantro, cumin, and lime juice and pepper to taste.  Add as much of the reserved bean liquid as you wish to make the whole thing moist but not too watery.  Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until the quinoa is done.

4) Once the quinoa is done, uncover the bean mixture and add the kale.  Cook until just wilted, then stir in the tomatoes.  Add the cooked quinoa and stir until everything is well combined and heated through.  Taste and adjust seasonings.  Serve hot.

I found I needed more cilantro and lime juice, but it’s entirely up to you how seasoned to make it!

Source of recipe: I wanted black beans and quinoa for dinner, but none of my cookbooks turned up the sort of recipe I was picturing.  Kale happened to be on sale, as well, and since it’s a family favorite, I tossed them all together and came up with this!

Makes: 4 servings, Preparation time: ~15 minutes, Cooking time: ~30 minutes

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