Sunday 9 September 2012

Quinoa, Black Bean, and Mango Salad

Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah), an ancient “grain” that’s actually an edible seed related to beets and spinach, makes a fantastic base for a salad, with its mild, nutty flavour.

Recipe and photo provided by CanolaInfo.org ©

  • 1 cup (250 mL) quinoa
  • 1 ripe mango, peeled and diced
  • 1 small red or yellow pepper, seeded and diced
  • 2 cups packed (500 mL) baby spinach, torn or sliced
  • 1 cup (250 mL or half of 19 oz/540 mL can) black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1/4 English cucumber, chopped
  • 2-3 green onions, chopped, or 1/4 cup (50 mL) chopped purple red onion
Dressing:
  • 3 tbsp (45 mL) canola oil
  • 2 tbsp (25 mL) white wine or white balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tsp (10 mL) honey
  • 1/2 tsp (2 mL) curry powder or paste
  • 1/4 tsp (1 mL) cumin
Directions
  1. Rinse quinoa well under cool water in fine sieve or in several changes of water. Drain.
  2. In large pot of boiling salted water set over medium heat, cook quinoa until tender but still firm to bite, about 15 minutes. It’s done when germ separates, making it look like a curly Q. Drain well and return quinoa to pot off heat. Cover with tea towel and replace lid, allowing it to steam and producing fluffy quinoa as it cools.
  3. In large bowl, combine cooled quinoa, mango, pepper, spinach, black beans, cucumber and onions.
  4. To make dressing, combine canola oil, vinegar, honey, curry and cumin in jar or small bowl and shake or whisk to blend.
  5. Drizzle salad with dressing and toss until well coated. 
 
Nutritional Information
 
per serving
  • Calories: 160
  • Protein: 4 g
  • Total Fat: 6 g
    • Saturated Fat: 0 g
    • Cholesterol: 0 mg
  • Carbohydrates: 23 g
    • Fibre: 4 g
    • Sugars: 3 g
  • Sodium: 15 mg
  • Potassium: 200 mg