Quinoa and Black Beans- what started it all!

I learned about Quinoa at the beginning of last semester from my neighbor, and I'm so grateful for that. It is one of the best graduate student foods as it is relatively cheap, expands like rice (to 4 times its original volume), and is considered a "complete protein." Now what that means is that it contains all of the essential amino acids, which you can rarely get from a grain. I looked in my "Food Lovers Companion" for more information about Quinoa, and learned that it is higher in unsaturated fats (the good fats) and lower in carbohydrates than most grains which may mean that it will fill you up for longer. The only problem is that it's difficult to find, and may not be at your local grocery store. Try a specialty store (Whole Foods, Trader Joe's...). Anyways, when I discovered this "miracle grain" also referred to as the "supergrain of the future," I looked around for recipes and here is my favorite that I have found. I eat it as a meal or take it for lunch at school, but my parents discovered that it tastes really good on tortilla chips so it could be used as a dip. I found the recipe originally on "allrecipes.com" and I hope you enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned.
2. Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes,
3. Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans and cilantro.