Mexican Quinoa Dish Made Easy

If you follow me on Instagram you probably saw this photo a couple of weeks ago. Let me tell you one thing, this dish was delicious and made a fantastic leftover side dish the next day. Also, this dish was so easy to make.

Here's what you need:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapenos, minced {optional, I didn't use any}
• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 cup vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 (15-oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (14.5 oz) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• 1 cup corn kernels {love my stash of frozen veggies}
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• salt and black pepper, to taste
• 1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled and diced
• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Here's what you do:

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
Add garlic {and jalapeno}  and cook, stirring frequently for about 1 minute.

Stir in quinoa, vegetable broth, beans, tomatoes, corn, chili powder and cumin.
Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Bring to a boil; cover and reduce heat.
Let it simmer for about 20 minutes or until quinoa is cooked through {it will look glossy}.
Stir in avocado, lime juice and cilantro.

Serve immediately.

***

If you don't like cilantro then use parsley or nothing at all. I am not a huge fan of cilantro. Actually I hate it and still used it and didn't mind. I just had extra cilantro I didn't know how to use, ha!

But it's a really simple dish. Everything you need for this dish you probably already have at home. Plus, it's healthy and a nice alternative to rice or pasta or potatoes. My man even liked it, and he is not so into the super healthy stuff but he eats everything I make, burned or not. Next time I will try to add some meat as well.