Meatless Monday (on Wednesday): Black Bean and Avocado Quinoa Salad

I'm a little behind with this week's Meatless Monday post, but I have bonuses for you to make up for it.

I forgot to plan ahead on Monday. I had a 4:30 doctor's appointment, and then we had to stop by the walk-in clinic for Abby (she's fine). It was almost six by the time we left the medical center.  Nap time had gotten in the way of our planned trip to the grocery store.  Then I remembered this recipe: Amazing Tomato Basil Pasta.  It's amazing because everything is cooked in one pot and it only takes fifteen minutes. We had all the ingredients except for Parmesan, so we substituted goat cheese.  We were too hungry for pictures.

I did promise you a bonus.  Earlier on Monday, I'd checked out a book called One-Dish Vegetarian Meals.  I figured this would make DH happy because he is the one who usually does the dishes.  Tuesday night, I made the Black Bean and Avocado Rice* Salad.  DH, a devoted carnivore, gave the dish a rave review.  Today, he informed me that it also made excellent leftovers for his lunch.

*We switched out the rice for quinoa. Quinoa has more protein, and we already had some. It keeps very well in the fridge.

Black Bean and Avocado Quinoa Salad
Adapted from One-Dish Vegetarian Meals by Robin Robertson

Ingredients:

• 1 lime, zested and juiced
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne powder (optional)
• 1/3 cup extra virgin oil
• 2 ripe avocados, diced
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 3 cups quinoa, cooked and chilled
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 small red onion, chopped
• 1 four-ounce can mild green chiles, drained
• 12 cherry tomatoes, chopped

Directions:

1. Whisk together the lime zest and juice, vinegar, orange juice, garlic, brown sugar, chili powder, and cayenne.  Slowly drizzle in the oil, constantly whisking, until smooth. Set aside. 

2. Toss the avocados in the lemon juice.

3. Combine rice, beans, onion, and chiles.  Gently fold in the avocados. 

4. Add the dressing and stir gently.  Top with cherry tomatoes and serve. 

Notes: 

We left out the cayenne because Abby and I don't love spicy things. We also had a partial can of green chiles left from another recipe, so we used less than the recipe calls for.