Monday Munchies - Southwestern Quinoa with Veggies and Mango

After getting back from Colorado Springs at 2:00 AM yesterday morning, with a full day of work and church ahead, I decided Monday Munchies was going to wait to make it's appearance until Tuesday.  We had a great road trip and the fall colors were at their peak which made the scenic routes that we took even more beautiful.  I'm resisting the urge to post fall recipes until October, but I'll share a couple of pictures from our trip with you to get you in the mood!

Just outside of town

Steamboat Springs

About an hour outside of Estes Park

But while summer veggies are still readily available, take advantage of it and make this recipe for a yummy and healthy salad or main course.  I actually have a confession to make about this recipe...I didn't measure out my lime juice and the first day it was REALLY limey tasting.  Like, pucker you up almost inedible (is that a word?).  However, I decided to squirt a tablespoon or so of ranch dressing on it, which masked the lime juice just as I hoped, and gave it kind of a nice creamy texture. If you wanted something simpler I think this would also be good to swap the dressing from this recipe with southwestern ranch for a creamier salad.

Southwestern Quinoa with Veggies and Mango

1 c. quinoa, rinsed and drained

1 t. ground cumin

1 c. frozen or canned corn (drained)

1 c. black beans

1 tomato, diced

1 small zucchini, chopped

1 small cucumber, chopped

1 small red bell pepper, chopped

1/4 c. red onion, diced

1 small mango, chopped

1 small jalapeno pepper, deseeded and finely diced

1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro

1/3 c. lime juice

1/3 c. olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 t. ground cumin

1/2 t. chili powder

1/4 t. ground turmeric

Directions:

In a saucepan, bring 2 cups water to a boil; add quinoa and cumin. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until liquid is absorbed, about 12 minutes. Remove pan from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Uncover, fluff with a fork and let cool for at least 10 minutes.

Mix together quinoa, corn, beans, tomato, zucchini, cucumber, bell pepper, onion, mango, jalapeno, and cilantro in a large bowl.

Whisk together lime juice, olive oil, garlic, cumin, chili powder and turmeric in a small bowl.  Drizzle over quinoa mixture and toss to coat.  Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.