Mexican Quinoa

Grilled Corn California Mexican Quinoa
Filled with healthy, energy providing ingredients, this dish works beautifully for lunch or a light dinner.  Quintessential Mexican ingredients bring a lovely balance of flavors that only seem to be missing a tart margarita  - which in actuality may not be Mexican at all.  But that's for another homework assignment.

1 cup uncooked quinoa
3 ears of corn, husks and silks removed
1 sweet red pepper
1 jalapeño
1 Tbs oil (I use avocado oil)
1 cups cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup sweet onion, chopped
1/3 to 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 cup (large handful) arugula
1 avocado, peeled, seeded and chopped
juice of 3 limes (more or less as desired depending on how juicy limes are.  I like about 3 Tbs lime juice)
2 Tbs good quality olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper
cilantro to garnish
Coconut Lime Cashew Crema (Click to see recipe)

Rinse quinoa, then cook as directed on package.  (I usually do 2 cups water to 1 cup quinoa - but check your package.).  Allow to cool.

Preheat grill on hight.  While grill is preheating, remove husks and silks from the corn.  Set aside.  Slice sides off of pepper and remove seeds.  Rub oil over pepper and jalapeño. 

Place corn and peppers directly on grill and reduce heat to medium/medium high.  Turn corn and flip pepper pieces every few minutes until they have nice char marks and the peppers are soft and the corn is cooked, but not soft.

Remove from grill and allow to cool.  Alternatively, use jarred red peppers if you don't want to grill your peppers.

Place cooled quinoa, tomatoes, beans, and onion into a bowl and toss gently to mix.  Slice corn off of the cob and add to the bowl.  Chop the pepper and add to the bowl.  Chop and seed the jalapeño and add as much as desired depending on your spice tolerance.  Stir gently again to combine.

Pour the lime juice and olive oil over the salad, then add the cilantro and arugula (or alternatively, serve the salad over a bed of oiled arugula), stir to combine.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Salad is ready now, but I prefer mine a few hours later and chilled.

Serve in individual bowls and top with a drizzle of Coconut Lime Cashew Crema along with a garnish of lime wedges and additional cilantro.