Quinoa Salad With Lime-Cumin Vinaigrette

To me, quinoa satisfies all the things that a perfect food should be: inexpensive, easy to cook, healthy and tasty. It's also one of the few vegetarian complete proteins and it's much less fussy to cook than rice. It doesn't have a lot of flavor though, so you can add oomph to it by fortifying it with bold flavors. My friend Anné deserves the credit for introducing me to this salad. I love the kaleidescope of colors and the juxtaposition of different textures. I changed things slightly and put my own riff on it by using a homemade vinaigrette, but if you're short on time just buy a creamy cilantro dressing instead.

Quinoa:
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1 small can black beans (preferably organic, rinsed)
1 red bell pepper (diced)
3 ears of corn
3 jalapenos (diced)
1/2 tsp. kosher salt

Lime-Cumin Vinaigrette:
2 limes (juiced)
2 tbsp. olive oil
big pinch of kosher salt
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp honey
1 small handful of cilantro (chopped)

Rinse the quinoa in a sieve with water and then add to a small pan with water. Add a 1 tsp. kosher salt and heat over high until it reaches a slight boil, then lower the heat and simmer, partially covered, for about 10-13 minutes or until the quinoa has absorbed the water. Let it cool.

Shave the corn kernels off the cobs and sautee with the jalapenos in olive oil and a small pinch of kosher salt until the corn is slightly browned. Let it cool, then mix in with the quinoa, black beans and red bell peppers.

Mix all the ingredients of the vinaigrette together and then pour over the quinoa/vegetable mixture. Let the salad mingle in the fridge for at least an hour.

Optional: Add cherry tomatoes and avocado at the very end.