Cold Quinoa Tacos

I knew when I stumbled across a recipe for a quinoa, black bean, and corn salad from Girl Cooks World that it would be a dish that I would absolutely have to try. Not to mention I felt inspired by the beautiful pictures on her blog of Cuzco, so I set out to make a bright meal that would please the palette.

But I made a few changes. And those change, while not necessary, made a salad into a meal. Instead of the balsamic vinaigrette, I used a Southwestern Vinaigrette adapted from CDKitchen. The combination of cumin, cilantro, garlic, and oregano gave the salad a warm flavor, and a dash of cayenne pepper probably helped too. Also, it was blazing hot outside when I made these, so the cool food was quite light and refreshing (but really filling).

I mixed up the salad earlier in the day, and let it marinate in the Vinaigrette for a few hours before dinner. I plated a huge serving of the salad (guiltlessly: it's quinoa, after all) alongside half of a sliced avocado and a few corn tortillas heated in a pan on the stove. Trust me, take the extra few minutes and heat your tortillas this way: they turn crispy and warm in a way that is much more pleasing than warming them in the microwave.

Cold Quinoa Tacos (Makes 8 Servings)
1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups water
1 15 oz can black beans (rinsed)
1 cup frozen corn (I used fire roasted corn from Trader Joe's)
1 red bell pepper, cut into bite size pieces
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white vinegar or rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dried mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon cumin
black pepper (to taste)
garlic powder (to taste)

Rinse quinoa in a fine sieve if not pre-washed. Bring quinoa and water to a boil in a medium covered saucepan, then reduce to a simmer for 15-20 minutes or until water is completely absorbed. Remove from heat, uncover, fluff with fork, and let cool slightly.

In another bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, mustard powder, oregano, cumin, black pepper, and garlic powder. Adjust seasonings to your own preferences.

In large bowl, combine quinoa, black beans, corn, red bell pepper, and cilantro. Toss with vinaigrette. Serve immediately or chill for a few hours to marinate. Serve with heated corn tortillas and sliced avocado or guacamole.

Nutrition Estimates (for taco filling without tortillas or avocado)
Calories: 230 Carbs: 31g Fat: 9g Protein: 6g