Easy Black Bean and Quinoa Salad

I've really been lacking in updates here. Sorry, folks! We've both been sick and I really have not felt like cooking. We've been eating a lot of frozen foods from Trader Joe's as well as Tofurky pizzas (note: these are THE best vegan frozen pizzas ever). This recipe doesn't really involve too much cooking so it was super easy to make while I wasn't feeling the best. Anyway, I like to make dishes like this at the beginning of the week so Michael and I can take small containers of it to work and eat for lunch. It's great eaten cold, room temperature, or warmed up. It's also very tasty with some tortilla chips! For the beans you can always use dried and for the tomatoes feel free to use fresh. I just used what I had on hand. If you don't want this much salad lying around in your refrigerator, just use less of everything.

Ingredients:

1 c. red quinoa

2 c. water

1 28 oz. can black beans (I forget the actual size. I know I used a big can)

1 16. oz. can chopped tomatoes, rinsed a little

1 white onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

3/4 c. corn

3/4 c. spinach, chopped

1/2 c. lime juice

Instructions:

- Rinse quinoa then place in a pot with the water, bring to a boil, then simmer and cover. Let cook for 10-15 minutes or until fluffy and fully cooked.

- While quinoa is cooking, place the rest of the ingredients in a big bowl and mix.

- When quinoa is done cooking, mix that in with the rest of the veggies.

- Cover and store in the refrigerator until you are ready to eat!

I typically put some sort of vinegar in with my bean salads but I decided not to this time for whatever reason. I loved the lime flavor -- it gave this salad a nice kick. It's lasted us a while, too, which is convenient considering how we've been feeling. Now all I need is to feel well enough to clean the apartment....