Quinoa Salad with Black Beans and Mango

It's raining, and I confess, when I left work today, I did not feel like cooking. I even picked up a frozen pizza at Walmart. However, while musing over which frozen pizza to buy (an ever-important decision for the diet-conscious), the mangoes behind me caught my eye. Mangoes. So yellow, so sweet, so juicy. One of God's greatest gifts to mankind for only $.90. Earlier in the week, I was flipping through my new vegan cookbook, Veganomicon, for something that I could cook so that I could try quinoa, and what did I find but Quinoa Salad with Black Beans and Mango. Consider it a divine Walmart experience, if those exist, but that mango came home with me. I'm still kicking myself for only buying one.

Quinoa Salad with Black Beans and Mango

1 mango, peeled and cut into small dice

1 seeded and diced red pepper

(I don’t like bell pepper, so I didn’t use it)

1 cup chopped scallions  

(I only used about ¼ cup…1 seemed to be a lot)

I cup chopped fresh cilantro

(No fresh…I had to use dried)

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons grapeseed oil

            (Another modification….I used olive)

¼ teaspoon salt                                          
2 cups cooked quinoa, cooled

                                                                                    1 15oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed

                                                                                    Romain lettuce

Slicing the mango. Oh, you yummy mango. It’s amazing any made it into the salad.

Cooked quinoa looks weird, not going to lie. Tastes good, though.

Combine the mango, red bell pepper (if used), scallions, and cilantro in a mixing bowl. Add the red wine vinegar, oil, and salt, and stir to combine. Add the quinoa and stir until everything is well incorporated. Fold in the black beans.  You can let it sit, refrigerate for later, or eat right then over a bed of lettuce.

I made mine into wraps. Not a bad frozen pizza replacement! Also, only 320 calories per serving according to my recipe calories calculator! (Serves 4)

 

A little tip: 

You should only have to buy green onions/scallions once. Take the whole bunch and put it in the vessel of your choosing with some sugar water, and you will have a self-sustaining source of green onions as long as they have water.