Southwestern Quinoa Salad

As my regular readers already know, I am working on my third cookbook, to most likely be released before the first two even come out.  This has been tricky schedule wise because I don’t want to neglect my two young children that I gratefully spend my days with.  My fabulous husband has three day weekends, thank goodness, and so the bulk of my writing this book occurs then, when he can take the kids out for some “nothing but fun with daddy days!”  They love it, and yes, I miss not doing all of those fun things with them and I look forward to having this project completed so that we can have fun on his days off again as a complete family. 

Well, they “surprised” me this weekend by getting haircuts while they were out.  My sweet little girl, whose baby hair had somehow managed to grow out beautifully and perfectly (as if we spent lots of money having it styled and cut that way), came home with her hair cut higher than her chin.  She was very excited to have hair like mine (I have recently cut my hair short), despite the fact that I have heavy, thick, auburn, curly hair and she lucked out by inheriting her father’s hair – honey blonde and straight with a slight curl at the tips (it was SO cute). 

I couldn’t help myself, I started crying.  Irrational, I know.  Especially because she is still just as beautiful.  What triggered my emotions was that her baby hair was finally cut off (along with those sweet little curls at the tips), and she looked so grown up.  What happened to my little baby who used to sleep perched on my shoulder and who never wanted to be let go of?  

Bittersweet, I believe, is the accurate description of how I feel right now.


 Southwestern Quinoa Salad

Quinoa has a very fluffy texture with a slightly nutty taste.  It is an excellent source of vegan protein as well as many other extremely important nutrients for a healthy body.

¾ cup quinoa

1 cup water

½ cup cooked black beans (canned are okay if they are drained and rinsed)

½ cup corn (frozen is fine)

¼ cup tomatoes, diced

¼ cup onions, chopped

2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

1 teaspoon Cholula sauce

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon lime juice

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 avocado, sliced

Soak the quinoa in a bowl of water for at least 15 minutes (even up to an hour is fine).  Then put the soaked quinoa in a small pot with 1 cup of water, the black beans, and corn.  Cook covered for about 15 minutes (until the quinoa is soft and the water cooked out).  Scoop the cooked quinoa mixture into a mixing bowl then gently stir in the tomatoes, onions, Cholula, olive oil, lime juice, and salt.  Serve with avocado slices and drizzle Cholula on top.

Makes 2-3 servings.

By Miriam Barton in promotion for the vegetarian cookbook Meatless Meals For Meat Eaters.