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Quinoa Recipe for a quick lunch or hearty side dish

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This dish with Quinoa, Black Beans, Cucumber and Avocado with Eggs is light, but hearty enough to refuel your tanks and support your journey to greatness. The combination of the vinegar, limes and cilantro creates a wonderful freshness that reinvigorates your soul through your daily grind.You never know, a great idea might even hit you over the head after lunch when you are NOT a wandering zombie in an afternoon coma…

Lunch is often a “human maintenance” meal for me. This translates to: I need food that fuels me through the rest of the crazy day, without leaving me ravenous or sleepy an hour later. Since I love to eat, it also kills me to just grab some junk food and call it okay. So I have been on a quest to find a lunch “supplement” that is filling, enjoyable, and healthy.

This recipe evolved from a bean and quinoa salad dish that my mom regularly makes at home. From that inspiration, I added some avocado and eggs to make it a little more savory and substantial enough to call it a meal.  Without the eggs, it can also be a great side dish.

I like to use organic dried black beans cooked via the pressure cooking method, but you can use canned ones. I recommend spending the additional nickel and grabbing the organic ones if available. The organic version will have fewer preservatives and I usually feel less “musical” after the meal. Even if the upgraded beans are a couple bucks, you are nowhere near the cost of a cheeseburger! Treat yourself!

This is a great meal to partially prepare ahead of time, especially the beans and quinoa. I like to make a large batch of beans and quinoa, and store them (separately) in left-over containers in my fridge. They last for about a week without getting funky. With these prepped, you can pull together all kinds of healthy meals on the quick (and cheap).

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Quinoa Recipe with Eggs for Lunch

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Ingredients

• 1/2 cup quinoa
• 1 1/2 cup water
• 3 cucumbers
• 2 cups cooked black beans (or 1-15 oz can)
• 1/2 bunch cilantro
• juice of 1 lime
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• pepper to taste
• 2 eggs (per serving

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1. Rinse quinoa thoroughly. Place quinoa and water into a saucepan over medium-high heat.

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2. Bring to boil, cover and reduce to a simmer. Cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the quinoa is soft and the water has been absorbed. The grain will have funny white rings that appear when finished.

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3. Cook black beans via pressure cooking method or long slow, or “Open the Can”. Drain and rinse beans thoroughly. A good rinse will make for the most appealing salad.

For a timetable and detailed instructions on how to cook dried beans, check out this Eat with Tom Post.

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4. Peel the cucumbers and dice into 1/2 inch pieces.

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5. Cut the avocado in half, remove the seed and cut in half again (fourths). Pull back the rigid skin from the point and remove. Cut into pieces similar to the cucumbers, about 1/2 inch. A rather firm avocado will produce the best results because it will hold together when mixing.

Love avocados?  Hop over and check out the Limey Avocado and Grape Tomato recipe.

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6. Rinse Cilantro and finely chop.

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7. Add beans, quinoa, cucumbers, avocados and cilantro to a large mixing bowl. Wait to stir…

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8. Add red wine vinegar, oil, lime juice salt and pepper to vegetables.

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9. Stir gently to combine.

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10. Fry a few eggs for each portion. Two or three usually does the trick for me. A runny yolk will make for the most rich experience. Add eggs to each plate.

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Let’s Eat!