Quinoa and Black Beans

I've been hearing about the health benefits of quinoa for a while and finally picked it up at the farmers market a few weeks ago. Not only is quinoa high in protein, but the protein it supplies is complete protein (all nine essential amino acids). Quinoa is especially well-endowed (har har) with the amino acid lysine, which is essential for tissue growth and repair and has a host of other health-building nutrients, including manganese, magnesium, iron, copper and phosphorus.
For the quinoa, I followed recipe below. I ate it with pan-fried salmon filet seasoned with cumin, cayenne pepper and salt.

• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned.
2. Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes.
3. Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans and cilantro (Serves 10).
   

Source: allrecipes.com (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Quinoa-and-Black-Beans/Detail.aspx)

Rating: 4 1/2 stars out of 5