Santa Fe-Style Quinoa Salad

Have you ever had quinoa? Quin-what? Quinoa (pronounce keen-wah) is a whole grain that's actually high in protein and is gluten-free. It's really quite yummy ... the little grains just look a little odd because each grain has a sprout coming off of it when cooked. The top photo is how it looks prior to cooking.

Anyway, give it a try, and this salad from "The Gluten-Free Vegetarian Kitchen" is a great way to do that. If you can't find quinoa, you could probably use rice, couscous or a small pasta with similar results.

Santa Fe-Style Quinoa Salad

1-1/2 cups water

1/2 cup mild or medium picante sauce

1 cup quinoa, rinsed under cold water

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained

1-1/2 cups fresh or frozen yellow corn kernels, cooked, drained and cooled

1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved 4 scallions (white and green parts), thinly sliced

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped

1 tablespoon canola oil

In a medium saucepan over high heat, combine the water, picante sauce, quinoa, cumin, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium, cover and cook until the liquid is absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand 5 minutes. Uncover and toss with a fork. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool slightly.

Add remaining ingredients to the quinoa, tossing well to combine. Serve slightly warm or let cool to room temperature. Alternatively, cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days and serve chilled.

Quick Start with MSPI Mama: This is one of my Quick Start recipes.