I have been trying to eat more whole grains and lately I have really been enjoying quinoa in particular. One of my favorite ways to enjoy quinoa is as the base for a salad. With summer just around the corner the markets have been full of fresh fruits and vegetables. Recently I have been experimenting with using fruits in my salads and my current favorite, the mango, had to make an appearance in a quinoa salad. I have also been adding beans to my salads lately and I though that if I went with black beans I could start a texmex theme for the salad and continue it by adding some peppers, cumin, lime and cilantro. Quinoa can be cooked in a rice cooker and that makes a quinoa salad as easy as throwing everything together. The mango and black bean quinoa salad worked out well. The sweet and cool mango tempered the heat of the jalapeños and the beans rounded the salad out with a nice creaminess. The quinoa salad was good when it was still warm from cooking the quinoa and the leftovers were good straight out of the fridge.
Mango and Black Bean Quinoa Salad
ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 large mango (stoned, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces)
- 1 red bell pepper (cut into bit sized pieces)
- 1 cup black beans (rinsed)
- 1 jalapeño pepper (chopped)
- 1 green onion (sliced)
- 1 handful cilantro (chopped)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 lime (juice and zest)
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- salt and pepper to taste
directions
- Cook the quinoa as directed on the package.
- Mix the quinoa, mango, red bell pepper, black beans, jalapeño, green onion, and cilantro in a bowl.
- Mix the olive oil, lime juice and zest, cumin, salt and pepper in another bowl.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat.
Roasted Asparagus and Red Pepper Farro Salad
Aztec Quinoa Salad
Corn and Black Bean Quinoa Salad
Thai Black Rice Salad
Lisa says
June 18, 2008 at 11:10 pmAnd thanks for this! Quinoa is probably my favorite grain, and pairing it with black beans, creamy mango and jalapenos is just my sort of thing. Perfect, as always.
VeggieGirl says
June 18, 2008 at 11:48 pmPerfect way to incorporate more whole grains into one’s diet!! Yum!!
Laura @ Hungry and Frozen says
June 19, 2008 at 12:02 amLooks awesome. I keep meaning to buy quinoa. When I do, I’ll have to check out your recipes 🙂
Mrs Ergül says
June 19, 2008 at 12:21 amCool and healthy! I would never have thought of adding in beans! It’s such a good idea.
bobby says
June 19, 2008 at 12:41 amGreat recipe, sounds healthy. It looks really nice and colorful!
meeso says
June 19, 2008 at 12:47 amWow, that salad is gorgeous!
Jessy and her dog Winnie says
June 19, 2008 at 1:21 amLooks great with all the different colors!
Steph says
June 19, 2008 at 1:35 amYour salad looks great! Even though I’m not much of a salad person, I’m curious to try quinoa. It does seem to pair well with salad, maybe that will get me eating more fresh vegetables.
Peter M says
June 19, 2008 at 2:03 amThat’s a mighty colourful plate…and healthy to boot!
Ginny says
June 19, 2008 at 2:35 amas always, a great dish!
Manggy says
June 19, 2008 at 3:23 amAh, I didn’t even know you could use a rice cooker to cook quinoa! That’s a real time-saver! Thanks also for including mango in many of your recipes 😉
Helene says
June 19, 2008 at 4:05 amI like mangoes in salad as well. Sometimes I just mix mangoes, fresh lime & cilantro. Let it marinate for an hour and serve it along the meal.
Bridgett says
June 19, 2008 at 4:31 amNow that is summertime on a plate. Lovely colors and flavors all in one. Yummy!
Paula says
June 19, 2008 at 4:57 amI found your blog via Sidewalk Shoes. Your quinoa salad looks amazing. I’m a big fan of quinoa, and enjoy learning fresh and new approaches on ways to prepare it. Yum!
noble pig says
June 19, 2008 at 5:32 amAmazingly beautiful with all those colors! I love it.
Jenny says
June 19, 2008 at 6:03 amMmmm, what a healthy and delicious salad. Looks great Kevin!
Jan says
June 19, 2008 at 6:09 amLooks fantastic Kevin! I have a pack of Quinoa and Black beans too. I will have to make this!
JillyB says
June 19, 2008 at 6:28 amI’m pretty new to quinoa and this salad looks so fresh and tasty. Thanks for sharing.
Lore says
June 19, 2008 at 7:17 amThis sounds interesting. I’m intrigued by the black beans-mango combo but I trust you: if you say it’s good, then I’m sure it was good indeed.
Rose&Thorn says
June 19, 2008 at 7:47 amThanks for this, I too have been eating a lot more whole grains, needed a new one to add to my store cupboard.
HoneyB says
June 19, 2008 at 7:52 amThis looks refreshing and delicious!
Mochachocolata Rita says
June 19, 2008 at 8:15 amloving the colors kevin!
Anonymous says
June 19, 2008 at 10:29 amVery nice combination of ingredients! Using a rice cooker to make quinoa is a really helpful idea.
Parker says
June 19, 2008 at 11:58 amI love the taste of black bean with cumin.
Happy cook says
June 19, 2008 at 12:00 pmSuch a beautiful and colour full salade. It is so good looking salade
Diana Evans says
June 19, 2008 at 1:32 pmoh awesome Kevin…I have a pound fo the quinoa and will have to try this out! Initially I made it with a curry base and it was good, but I think I made way too much…
thanks for sharing!
michelle @ TNS says
June 19, 2008 at 2:50 pmthis has, like, all my favorite flavors. and is totally quick and doable on those summer days when you don’t really feel like cooking. most excellent.
Deborah says
June 19, 2008 at 2:59 pmI’ve never thought to make quinoa in the rice cooker. What a great salad!
Grace says
June 19, 2008 at 4:01 pmthis is absolutely my favorite dish that you’ve ever made. seriously. i like even better than your baklava french toast, which is amazing. this little beauty has all my favorites, and is healthy to boot. kudos to you!
Jeena says
June 19, 2008 at 4:03 pmSo colourful! Quinoa is so delicious and healthy, it looks great on this lovely salad.
Elle says
June 19, 2008 at 4:07 pmThis looks like a great way to get started using quinoa, which I haven’t tried yet.
syrie says
June 19, 2008 at 4:13 pmKevin, the colours are brilliant! I’m still to try making quinoa myself. I’ve only tried it several times but have loved it each time.
Jan says
June 19, 2008 at 4:20 pmThat salad looks fab. I have never tried quinoa, maybe now is the time to start.
Pam says
June 19, 2008 at 5:21 pmAllright… now I have to try quinoa – you always make it look so tasty.
Free BBQ Recipes says
June 19, 2008 at 6:05 pmFantastic! This worked really well with BBQ lamb because the fruitiness really complemented the meat. Many thanks.
cakewardrobe says
June 19, 2008 at 6:35 pmYou’ve been on a mango craze! Mee too, though not shown! Looks so healthy and yummy!
Nina's Kitchen (Nina Timm) says
June 19, 2008 at 7:14 pmI have a packet of Quinoa in my pantry cupboard from a while back and I can make this pretty soon. So healthy and delicious!
Proud Italian Cook says
June 19, 2008 at 8:09 pmLight, healthy,great colors,nice salad Kevin!
Gloria says
June 19, 2008 at 10:24 pmAnd this Kevin is a nicve and lovely salad!”!! xGloria
Mary Coleman says
June 19, 2008 at 10:57 pmThis is lovely!!! What a great salad.
Mansi Desai says
June 20, 2008 at 2:38 amthat looks beautiful kevin! this could be a great entry to my Healthy Cooking event, btw:)
rhid says
June 20, 2008 at 6:29 amI have had a few salds with quinoa – and they were good – or great. This sounds really good – I love the addition of the sweet mango with the beans and the quinoa – sounds like balance with a bit of pizazz!
Pam says
June 21, 2008 at 1:45 amThis will definitely be my next try for quinoa!
Ivy says
June 22, 2008 at 8:53 amAlthough I was not very enthusiastic about quinoa the first time I tried it, I still want some new recipes as it is very healthy and nutritious. Your recipe was the most colourful and beautiful of the round up. Sounds delicious. May be you would like to check out the event Ben and I are organizing and want recipes like this one. http://kopiaste.blogspot.com/2008/05/fat-chefs-or-skinny-gourmets-food-event.html
TBC says
June 22, 2008 at 3:52 pmI’m going to try this out as soon as I get some quinoa. Thanks for sharing!
eatme_delicious says
June 23, 2008 at 6:07 pmVery intriguing salad! Looks delicious. I need to try quinoa in salads more. I wasn’t a big fan of a quinoa salad I made recently, but I think that had more to do with the flavours.
Anonymous says
December 18, 2008 at 4:43 amFive stars! I love quinoa, having recently discovered it. I also love black beans, mango, and cilantro. All those things together make for a KILLER dish!
Jan says
March 28, 2010 at 9:15 pmI made this for dinner tonight, it's superb. Thanks for the recipe!
Anonymous says
March 30, 2010 at 3:28 amOh my gosh. Your blog has WAY to much good looking food on it. This looks delish. I LOVE quinoa… discovered it last summer.
Denise says
June 19, 2011 at 6:10 pmHi there! Delicious salad. A coworker of mine made a salad similar to this and wouldn't give me the recipe so I'm glad to have stumbled upon it. I even featured it in an upcoming blog post.
http://www.vitaminimalist.blogspot.com
Thanks!