Mexican Quinoa Salad

Happy voting day, NY-ers! I was all ready to cast my ballot when I dropped Ada off for preschool . . . only to realize the polls don't open till noon. Oops. In the meantime, I'm working on a few freelance pieces and thought I'd pop on to share this really simple dinner recipe we've been eating quite frequently.

File this beauty under hectic weeknight meals. Seriously.

ONE POT MEXICAN QUINOA SALAD

Here's the original recipe, but we've modified it to suit our pantry contents.

What you'll need . . .

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1-1/2 cup water + 2 teaspoons Better than Bouillon (Veggie)*
• 1 can black or pinto beans, drained + rinsed
• 1 cup salsa of choice
• 1-1/2 cups frozen corn/onion/bell pepper mix**
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• Black pepper -- to taste

* Or 1-1/2 cups veggie broth
** Or just frozen corn -- but consider adding some bell pepper

Method . . .

1. Put all ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a boil and then drop heat to a simmer for 20 - 25 minutes.
2. Let sit another 5 minutes and then fluff before serving.
3. You can also chop up avocado and mix it in, add a squirt of lime juice, serve over a bed of arugula, and top with shredded cheese + sour cream.

I feel like this mix tastes even better the next day. We sometimes make a double batch and eat it all week for lunches. I've filled tortillas with it, too. And -- uh -- I even topped our Friday night pizza with some leftovers last week. Yum. You can also feel free to add jalapeno pepper or more spice. My heartburn these days doesn't permit me to do that. Sigh.

Enjoy!