Mexican Quinoa Salad with Black Beans, Corn, and Tomatoes

Quinoa is quickly becoming one of my favorite foods. How about you? Grain-like, but not really a grain, quinoa has a wonderfully nutty flavor. It’s also happily very good for you, being high in protein, fiber, magnesium, calcium, and iron.
Quinoa goes well with Southwestern flavors and especially well with cheese, in particular farmers cheese, a soft, mild cheese like queso fresco or fresh mozzarella.
This quinoa salad is a toss together of black beans, fresh garden tomatoes, corn, farmers cheese, jalapeños, red onions, cilantro, and lime. Yum! It will last for days chilled which makes it a great make-ahead salad for picnics and gatherings. Enjoy.

Mexican Quinoa Salad with Black Beans, Corn, and Tomatoes Recipe

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Yield: Serves 4-6

If you are working with frozen corn, you can add more flavor by taking the frozen corn kernels and searing them directly on a hot pan, without defrosting first. Save time by prepping most of the ingredients while the quinoa is cooking.

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa, well rinsed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups water
• 1/3 cup diced red onion
• 2 Tbsp lime juice
• 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup frozen corn, defrosted, OR 1 cup of fresh corn, parboiled, drained and cooled (approximately the amount of kernels from one ear of corn)
• 3 medium tomatoes, seeded and cut into chunks
• 5 ounces Queso fresco, Queso Panela, fresh Mozzarella or other mild farmer's cheese, cut into 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, including tender stems, packed
• 3 Tbsp olive oil

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