Quinoa & Black Beans

I discovered the awesomeness of quinoa several months ago, after hemming and hawing for a while about whether or not it was worth trying. I'm so glad I did.  By itself, quinoa is rather unassuming. I think it has a bit of a nutty flavor, but it's not particularly strong. Quinoa is a type of grain that's naturally gluten-free, so this is excellent for people with gluten intolerance or who are trying to reduce their intake of gluten.

In my TurboFire recipe book, one of the recipes calls for a side of quinoa and black beans. I decided to alter the recipe for the side dish just a little, and I think it works well. It's great with fish.

It's ridiculously easy, and there are probably a dozen ways you could change even this basic recipe up to suit your individual tastes.

Quinoa & Black Beans (Jen's Version)
Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups chicken stock or broth (I use Swanson)
• 1 cup black beans, rinsed well

Method

In a 2 quart sauce pan, combine quinoa and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cover, simmering for about 12 minutes. At that time, most of the water should be absorbed, there will be little "holes" in the quinoa, and you'll see the little spiral germ has separated from the grain.

Add the cup of black beans and stir to combine. Heat for another five minutes or so, uncovered.

And that's it! As I said at the beginning of this post, this pairs so well with fish. It would also go with chicken, or you can eat it on its own for a very filling lunch.