summer mexican quinoa

I feel as though there should be a sixth love language to add to the other amazing five, and if there were I would deem it "cooking".  For me, cooking is definitely one of my love languages.  I love making something out of basic ingredients, creating sweet goodness to nourish our bodies, and sharing it with others.  These experiences are meant to be shared, to cook for others, to love on others, and to create a sense of community around food.  It is no question that I love food, and this love for cooking is something that has been building up in my over the last couple of years.  My "happy place" is the kitchen.  There is a profound sense of peace that overcomes me when I'm in this place, my element. 

Daniel, on the other hand, sees food as fuel.  He could care less at times about how fresh the ingredients are, which are organic, or even if it was homemade.  He loves to eat, not cook.  

So, we have learned to compromise over the years.  Cooking is exquisite, but with it comes time-lots of time depending on the recipe, time to prep, time to clean up, time to cook.  And we don't always have this time.  So we have worked on compromising the amount of time spent on creating meals.  And it has challenged me to make easy and quick meals without sacrificing nutrition, health, and taste.  

The other night something magical happened in our kitchen.  I had an idea and ran with it, and it turned out amazing.  The best was that everything was ready within 25 minutes and clean up was minimal.  The husband smiled all throughout dinner, just from the taste but also because he didn't have lots of dishes to do afterwards.  And we learn from these moments.  These moments where we have compromised to help the other person, to love the other person, and we quickly remember this meal as a perfect weeknight meal that we both love.  

We are big fans of Daily Garnish's mexican quinoa with black beans, but I didn't want to cook a whole lot.  I was ready to chop.  And in the summer the last thing I wanted was a stove top full of heat to add to the summer heat.  So I created our own version of "mexican quinoa" with fresh, delicious ingredients, that all were prepared while the quinoa was cooking.  And right there in the kitchen, something magical happened! 

Summer Mexican Quinoa

Ingredients:

1 c. dry quinoa, rinsed

2 c. water

1 red bell pepper, diced

1/2 red onion, diced

2 c. diced cherry tomatoes

1.5 cups corn

2 limes, juiced

1 Tbsp. cilantro

1 avocado, diced 

1 can black beans, rinsed

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. chili powder 

Directions:

1.  Combine water and quinoa in a saucepan over medium heat, cover, and cook for 15 minutes.  Fluff with a fork when it is done cooking. 

2.  While the quinoa is cooking, chop the bell pepper, onion, tomatoes, and cilantro. 

3. In a large bowl, combine bell pepper, onion, tomatoes, corn, black beans, and cilantro.  

4.  Add the cooked quinoa, salt, chili powder, and lime juice.  Stir to combine well.  Stir in diced avocado before serving. 

We served ours with quesadillas, mine made with an Ezekiel tortilla and monterey jack cheese.  Enjoy!!