From the pantry, you'll need: quinoa, canola oil, lime, agave nectar, chipotles in adobo, yogurt, canned black beans.

Inspired by a recipe for quinoa taco salad on Gluten-Free Goddess, this recipe serves 4 as a vegetarian main dish, or 8 as side dish with grilled fish, beef or chicken.

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup canola oil

Juice of 1 lime

1 Tbsp agave nectar

1-2 chipotle chiles in adobo

1 Tbsp plain yogurt

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 avocado, cut into large chunks, tossed with lime juice to keep it from discoloring

1/2 large English (seedless) cucumber, cut into large chunks

1/4 cup chopped red onion

1/2 cup cooked (or canned and drained) black beans

2 cups chopped fresh tomato (2 large tomatoes)

Sprigs of fresh cilantro or chopped cilantro leaves, for garnish (optional)

Directions

Place quinoa in the rice cooker with 2 cups of water. Set the cooker to COOK, and let it do its thing. (If you don't have a rice cooker, put the rinsed quinoa and 2 cups of water in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook, covered, for 30 minutes or until the quinoa is cooked.)

While the quinoa is cooking, add the oil, lime juice, agave nectar, 1 chipotle chile, yogurt and salt in a blender, and process until smooth. Taste, and if you want more heat, add a second chipotle. Set aside.

When the quinoa is finished cooking, open the lid of the rice cooker to let it cool slightly. Add the quinoa to a mixing bowl, and fluff with a fork. Gently mix in the chopped avocado, cucumber, onion, black beans and tomato, and stir in almost all of the dressing (you might need it all, but maybe not, so start slowly). Taste, and add salt if needed.

Serve right away, or refrigerate for up to 2 days.

[Printer-friendly recipe.]