Mango and Black Bean Quinoa GF

My friend Nichole gave me this recipe this summer and I kept wanting to make it, but every time I got mangoes we ate em! We LOVE mango! The past 6 weeks or so we have been getting a mango in our produce box so I figured we could spare one or two for a meal. :) The mango works so well in this dish because it has a slight spiciness to it. It isn't like eating a pepper or anything crazy, it's sweet, but it has a zippy undertone that marries well with the Latino flavors of the other ingredients. This was definitely a winner and I am so glad she shared it with me! I changed a few things mainly because of what ingredients I had on hand, but the one thing I think makes a big difference is I toasted the quinoa. It adds a nice flavor that you don't get when you cook it straight up. The toasty flavor goes great with this dish! You seriously have to try this!

Ingredients

2 cup quinoa

4 cups water

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar ( The recipe I had called for raspberry balsamic, but I didn’t have that.)

1 large or 2 small mangoes, diced

2 avocado, diced

15-ounce can black beans, rinsed well and drained

1 red bell pepper, diced

¼ cup cilantro, finely chopped

Small red onion, minced (could use about a ½ c of green onion, but I like the flavor of red better)

1 whole jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely minced

juice of 1 lime

salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Toast quinoa in a dry skillet over md/high heat until it starts to pop a little and slightly brown. Add 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low and cook, covered, for 15 minutes or until water is completely absorbed and quinoa is fluffy. Transfer to a large bowl. Add mangoes, avocado, black beans, red bell pepper, cilantro, mint, onion, jalapeno pepper, olive oil, vinegar and lime juice.  Season to taste with salt and pepper. The recipe I had served this as a cold side salad, which would be great for the summer. I however made it hot and served it that way. It was pretty amazing warm! (If you aren't eating this as a main dish like we did and you are using it as a side, halve the recipe!)