Quinoa Black Bean Casserole

Ingredients

1 Cup of uncooked Quinoa

Wet Mixture
1/3 Cup olive oil
1/3 Cup lemon or lime juice
1 handful of chopped cilantro
1 can black beans
3 ears of corn, prepared and cut from cob
1 large tomato
2 each yellow, red and orange mini sweet peppers, diced
3 cloves of fresh garlic
1 small yellow onion diced

Dry Mixture
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp ground thyme

Topping
2-4 cups of Mexican blend shredded cheese
1/4 Cup chopped black olives
Sour Cream

Step 1: Prepare Quinoa

Toast 1 cup of dry quinoa in a sauce pan with 1 TBS of olive oil. Once toasted, remove from heat. Add two cups of water and salt and pepper to taste, give it a stir and return to heat. Bring toasted quinoa mixture to a boil uncovered. Once boiling, cover and adjust heat to lowest setting for 15 min, then remove from heat. Allow to sit covered for 5 min, then fluff with fork. Remove cover and allow to sit for another 10 min before using in next step.

Step 2: Whisk Together Olive Oil, Lemon or Lime Juice and Cilantro

Step 3: Prepare Vegetables

Step 4: Add Vegetables to Prepared Quinoa

Step 5: Mix Quinoa, Vegetables, and Sauce Together. Cover and Refrigerate.

Step 6: Saute Onion and Garlic Until Soft. Preheat Oven to 375 Degrees.

Step 7: Final Mix

In a large bowl, toss all of the following ingredients together: refrigerated wet mixture, sauteed wet mixture and dry spices..

Step 8: Prepare Toppings

Place final mix in 3 Qt. casserole dish. Cover with cheese and chopped olives. Bake until cheese is melted. Serve with sliced avocado and sour cream.