I found this salad on Pinterest one day and thought it sounded good. I love quinoa, black beans, avocado; pretty much everything in this recipe. I threw this together this past weekend and it was easy to make. It is also beautiful. When I tasted it for the first time, I really felt like it was missing something. I debated even posting this on here, but I’m going to ask that if anyone makes this or has any ideas of something I should add, please let me know! I feel like it needs something added to the dressing. And maybe it was just my taste buds this day…Let me know your thoughts!
Quinoa Salad with Black Beans:
1 c. quinoa
1 T. olive oil
1 3/4 c. water
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 avocado, chopped into chunks
handful cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/2 red onion, diced
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 red pepper, diced
small handful cilantro, diced
1 lime, juiced
1/2 t. cumin
1/2 T. olive oil
salt to taste
Warm olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once hot, add quinoa and toast for about 2 minutes. Add water, stir once, cover and simmer with lid on for 20 minutes.
While quinoa is cooking, prepare all other ingredients. Prepare the dressing by combining lime juice, olive oil, cumin and salt. Whisk aggressively. Adjust seasoning as needed.
When quinoa has finished cooking, remove from heat and fluff with fork. Add black beans and toss to warm through. Let quinoa cool for about 5 minutes and then add all the remaining ingredients, including dressing. Mix. Adjust seasoning if needed. Serve with tortilla chips if desired.
Cookie's Crumbles 
Beca, I’m going to make this salad today. Just glancing at the ingredients I’m guessing it needs a little balsamic vinegar. I plan to add a little to it when I make it. I’ll get back to you:-)
Just made this recipe and I think it’s fantastic just the way it is. I’m glad I didn’t just add the vinegar without tasting it first! The cumin and lime juice make a really interesting taste combination. Will definitely be making this again. Thanks for posting it!