Quinoa & Black Beans

See preparation instructions at allrecipes.com

I have reduced the amount of some ingredients including black beans & corn and switched from vegetable broth to chicken broth, and from vegetable oil to avocado oil. I reduced the amount of black beans, not because I don’t like them, but because I am thinking of the number served from the recipe, and since I am “cooking for one,” I’ll try half and see if I can eat it all before some of it spoils. *Well, that turned out to be a moot point. This dish is a very good base for other Mexican flavors. And, to surprise a 71 year old man with such delicious flavor is pretty wonderful.

Ingredients:

Here is the original recipe halved so that only 1 can of black beans is used, which would yield 5 servings.

1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 cup quinoa
3/4 cup vegetable broth (try upping the amount to 1 C of broth to 1/2 C of quinoa)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained¹
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

I’m going to try and add the simple cooking process for the above ingredients in case the web site I reference changes or goes away.

NOTE: I have changed the above recipe to reflect a halving of the ingredients, and this means that I have to adjust the cooking time somehow. I may up the broth to 1 Cup for 1/2 Cup of quinoa. This may bring the cooking time back to the 20 minutes time, and also make it easy to remember twice the broth for the amount of quinoa. [end]

Start with very little oil, and chop half an onion and a little garlic and sautee for about 10 minutes. Then add 3/4 cup of quinoa and twice as much, 1.5 cups of broth to the onion/garlic mix. Add the cumin, cayenne, salt & pepper. Bring to a boil, then cut the heat down to a simmer for 20 minutes, covered. Don’t boil for 20 minutes or you will have burnt quinoa! The broth seems to be too much at the start, but simmering for 20 minutes, the liquid will evaporate leaving a moist, not dry, and not too wet fully cooked quinoa & onion mix. Now add the frozen corn, and let it warm up for about 5 minutes. And after this add the canned, cooked black beans (leave out the empty can, and rinse the beans before adding) and the chopped fresh cilantro. Stir to mix thoroughly and viola!

*The Black Beans & Quinoa are an excellent base for other flavors. Add the heat, or avocado, or Greek Yogurt or sour cream to your other sauces or toppings for the beans & quinoa. And then mix a little, as you prefer with each bite, as you eat and enjoy.

I wanted to find something to pair with homemade salsa instead of using tortilla chips that might be more Type 2 “diabetic friendly.”

I also saw a comment to eat the salsa on an avocado. I like the thought of that. I’m guessing we might be heading for guacamole. I could have some salsa in one salsa dish, some guacamole in another dish, some Greek yogurt, plain, in a third.

And, the thought came to me to add a dollop of sour cream, and then Gemini (AI) suggested, Plain Greek Yogurt.

I keep forgetting Greek Yogurt, and because I already have “Plain Greek Yogurt” on hand for a dessert of yogurt & pureed blackberries, raspberries or strawberries, hey that’s a no brainer.

I’m not sure if this might be over doing it, but I also might try using some of my Cilantro-Lime Dressing in this. *I ended up NOT using any of this dressing, but many of the same ingredients added to the flavor and smooth texture of the guac.

As I’m walking toward my kitchen I pass my new wire storage rack, and noticed an odd shaped Rubbermaid container. I say odd because I have a bunch of the Rubbermaid Easy Find Lids containers, assorted sizes, but this one doesn’t belong to that style. I wondered what I had put in the container, shook it as I picked it up, and then popped the top and looked inside.

Oh, yeah! Tomatillos. Just four of them and about medium sized. But the thought came to me immediately, something to mix in with the avocado. I’ve made a type of green salsa to off set the red tomato salsa I usually make.

Add some avocado, sweet onion, tomatillo, green chilis, cilantro and S&P with some cumin and cayenne and that’s another good flavor. *I added the plain Greek Yogurt & a little real sour cream and Agave Nectar to the guacamole. Sweet, smooth, not spicy.

*I made the mistake of using a little jalapeno instead of the green chilis in making this guac version. It turned out to be too spicy, but my solution was to add less heat to the salsa. And because I like mixing the three flavors with each bite, problem solved.

Oh, my! The flavors came together so well. I would definitely make this again, and repeatedly, and often. One of those surprises that works so well. And, it’s hard to surprise yourself, but I did, and pleasantly. I wanted something to replace the tortilla chips with my salsa, but chips & a little extra sour cream would kick it even further. *And I’ve already eaten a few Blue Corn Tortilla Chips with this meal twice. The little bit of extra salt and the crunchy texture just add to the experience.

*04/07/25 I’ve just made this again and the recipe is spot on, regarding how much to use and how to cook it. The broth evaporates and at 20 minutes it is ready for the frozen corn and in about 5 minutes, the black beans and cilantro. I did try the LIDL Black Beans and Whole Kernel Sweet Corn (instead of frozen).

And now on to some other ideas for enhancing the above meal, or even taking it in a slightly different direction.

Garden of Eatin’

I’m trying to interpret the nutritional values of these Blue Corn Taco Shells. Two shells are only 130 calories. There is no sodium? That would make them awful bland wouldn’t it? And, there is no sugar or added sugar? As a Type 2 diabetic, no sugar or salt is great, but questionable.

I’m thinking about doing the following: Black Beans & Quinoa for the base layer in the taco shell. Then add a layer of shredded Romaine Lettuce. Followed by some of Bill’s Salsa and Bill’s Guac. I already know that all of those flavors work well with Blue Corn Tortilla Chips so if the taco shell is flavorful, it should all work and two tacos .

I’ll calculate the estimated total nutritional values per taco based on the ingredients you listed:

Black Beans & Quinoa (½ helping per taco)
Shredded Romaine Lettuce
Bill’s Salsa (¼ cup per taco)
Bill’s Guac (adjusted per taco)
Blue Corn Taco Shell

Estimated Nutritional Values per Taco:

Calories: ~207 kcal
Carbohydrates: ~32.4g
Fiber: ~9.2g
Protein: ~6.2g
Fat: ~7.5g

These tacos are relatively high in fiber, which is great for managing blood sugar levels. The combination of black beans, quinoa, and healthy fats from avocado makes it a well-balanced option for Type 2 diabetes.

And here is a much cheaper Wegman’s product of similar comparison.

*04/07/25 I did buy a package of the Wegman’s Blue Corn Taco Shells and tried a couple with the Black Beans & Quinoa, Salsa and Guacamole. The shells had good flavor. I had been worried that with no sugar or salt that they might be very bland. I didn’t heat the shells, and I need to try that because they crumbled easily when eating and made it messy.

Currently I would prefer using the tortilla chips with these foods.

Here is an Organic Blue Corn Tortilla Chip from On the Border.

I bought some shaved sirloin today at Lee’s Fresh Market, and had a desire to make a stir fry with onion and various peppers (jalapeno, poblano, red bell pepper & a few Ajicitos Dulces peppers). It just made sense to put these on top of some of the Black Beans & Quinoa, and then the guac and salsa came along for the ride. It was all delicious together. I had thought the other day that maybe adding roasted sausage might work, and I still think that. Chicken isn’t the only thing that could set the beans, salsa and guac afire.

These Ajicitos Dulces Peppers are no heat, and not very distinctive in flavor (my revue). I got the above picture of the red Aji Dulce Peppers online, so I guess they ripen from green to red. But, also note that the Brazillian Starfish (some heat & distinctive flavor) has a similar shape and color. I compare the shape to that of a white “Patty Pan” Squash, but much smaller. I do not recall what the multi-colored pepper is called, but this reminds me of the ripening stages of the Sweet Bell Pepper. Green Bell Peppers are the least ripe, then turn to yellow, orange and finally red which is both the ripest and sweetest. *I froze some of the Aji peppers and have used a few in some other cooking.

Nothing to do with the above, but just what I had for dinner tonight. I opened a plastic container in the refrigerator earlier today and was shocked to find one of those thick cut, bone in, pork chops that I had bought some time back at Lee’s Fresh Market in Benson, and had frozen them, but had taken this one out to thaw, and forgot it. I smelled it and it smelled perfectly fine, so I moved it up on the list of what to cook tonight.

*I had my Ciabatta Roll Pizza for lunch and it was delicious. I had roasted the bell pepper, onion & jalapeno in the oven before putting it on the shredded cheese and melting it all together. I wanted to make sure those items toasted, and didn’t think they would if I put them on at the same time I started to melt the cheese. It worked. The pepperoni goes on last, and takes only about 3 or 4 minutes to get oily and crisp up. Delicious, once again!

The porkchop took about 15 minutes to cook, and I added just a little jalapeno & sweet red bell pepper to roast with it. Ten minutes on one side, under tin foil, and then flip it over and 5 minutes later it’s done. Pink on the inside, but not bloody.

I made a modified Greek Salad with Spring Mix, Romaine lettuce, red bell pepper, sweet onion, walnut pieces, feta cheese and wonton strips for crunch. I also made a modified Italian dressing with brown & yellow mustards, red wine vinegar, olive oil, a little water, S&P and some sweetener. Added a slice of sourdough bread and everything worked. Meat, bread, roasted jalapeno and tart salad.

NOTE: I may need to get a toaster, or toaster oven because I am increasingly unable to put bread in the oven to toast it without burning it. I can’t keep my mind on the toast for the other things I might be doing, like testing my resting blood sugar level, or even heating water for hot tea in the microwave, or putting dishes in the dishwasher. *04/07/25 I did buy a small toaster oven from Walmart about a week ago. I haven’t taken it out of the box yet, because I really don’t have a place for it yet. *04/19/25 I finally put the toaster oven on a small table in the living room next to the kitchen counter. It toasts bread quickly and has a timer. Still, this is not the place for it, but I don’t have a good place yet.