Lunch · Mexican

Mexican bean & quinoa salad

Name: Mexican bean & quinoa salad
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 150g Quinoa; ½ Red onion; 2 Limes; 2 tins Black beans, drained; 1 tin Sweetcorn, drained; 1 Pepper; 250g Cherry tomatoes; 30g Fresh coriander; 2 tsp Ground cumin; 4 tbsp Olive oil; 2 Avocados, add on the day

Beans, corn and quinoa in a warm cumin and lime dressing. The avocado joins you at lunchtime.

Start to finish: 40 min
Hands-on: 27 min
In the fridge: 4 days
Freezes: Not well

Vegan

Ingredients

4 portions

150gQuinoa
½Red onion
2Limes
2 tinsBlack beans, drained
1 tinSweetcorn, drained
1Pepper
250gCherry tomatoes
30gFresh coriander
2 tspGround cumin
4 tbspOlive oil
2Avocados, add on the day

Plus salt, pepper and water.

Method

1
Rinse the quinoa well in a sieve, then simmer it in a pan of water for 15 minutes, until tender and each grain shows a little white curl. Drain well.
20 min, mostly hands-off
2
Spread it out on a tray and leave it to steam dry and cool.
10 min, mostly hands-off
3
Meanwhile, finely chop the onion and put it in your largest bowl with the zest and juice of both limes and a good pinch of salt. Leave it to soften while you do the rest.
4
Dice the pepper, quarter the tomatoes and roughly chop the coriander. Drain and rinse the beans and sweetcorn.
5
Warm the oil and cumin in a small pan for about a minute, until it sizzles and smells toasty. Pour it over the onion and lime and whisk together.
6
Add the quinoa, beans, sweetcorn, pepper, tomatoes and most of the coriander. Toss well and season. Pack into tubs with the rest of the coriander on top, and keep the avocados whole for the day.

On the day

Eat cold or at room temperature. Dice half an avocado over the top just before eating and stir it in. A shake of hot sauce is welcome.

Cook’s tip

Rinse quinoa before cooking, even if the packet says it has been washed. The natural coating on the grains tastes bitter and faintly soapy.