Real Food, Day 9: Quinoa Taco Salad

Another meal inspired by Katie at goodLife{Eats}! I've been working on this post for nearly a week now. It has just been left up on the computer. Up until tonight, I'd only written one sentence (last night I added the link--woohoo!). I need to get back in the blogging groove. Goal for the night: get this post published.

I made a bunch of adaptations to this recipe. It was really good--and it makes a ton. Lucas had some sort of apprehension to quinoa (he was under the impression it was going to taste like dirt), so that is why we also included meat in our version. (note: after eating it, he has determined it does not taste like dirt, so next time we can leave out the meat if we want...).

Quinoa Taco Salad

adapted from the recipe by Katie at goodLife{Eats}'

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa

1 red onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 yellow bell pepper, chopped

1 orange bell pepper, chopped

1 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. oregano

2 tsp. chili powder

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

3/4 cup diced tomatoes (I used canned)

1 15 oz. can black beans, drained

1/2 lb. ground hamburger

1/2 packet taco seasoning

1/4 cup water

salt and pepper to taste

for serving:

tortilla chips

baby spinach

cilantro

salsa

sour cream

shredded cheese

Directions:

1. Prepare quinoa according to package directions.

2. In a skillet, brown hamburger. Drain fat and add taco seasoning and water. Keep warm over low heat.

2. In a skillet, heat 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute onion, garlic, and bell peppers until tender. Add spices and continue to saute 2-3 minutes.

3. Stir in tomatoes, black beans, and quinoa. Season with salt and pepper.

To serve: layer tortilla chips, spinach, quinoa mixture, and taco meat on plate. Top with salsa, sour cream, shredded cheese, and cilantro, if desired.

Enjoy!