Picnic Fun at Blues on the Green

I am fortunate to be home all of this week and next, so I loaded up on produce at the farmers market on Saturday. Tonight, my friends and I went to an outdoor concert, Blues on the Green, to hear Asleep at the Wheel (awesome Western Swing band). Very fun and a beautiful Austin night.

Instead of buying food at the venue, we decided at 5:15 that we were going to picnic. I hit the pantry and the produce drawer and came up with a couple of things I could throw in the basket. I didn't have any meat thawed, so for my protein I decided to make a quinoa salad with black beans. If you aren't familiar with quinoa, it is a grain that is high in fiber, but also high in protein. That's a powerful grain, and I've started using it instead of rice.

I literally threw this together with what was in the pantry, but have included some modifications that I would add if I'd had them available - namely the cilantro and lime for a little flavor. Also, we ate it cool because we were picnicking, but you could easily serve it warm as a side.

I also made a cucumber, tomato, artichoke salad, but it had some issues so I'll spare you that recipe for now. I promise to refine it and post it later.

I hope you enjoy this as much as we did.

Quinoa with Black Beans, Zucchini and Mushrooms
1 cup quinoa
2 cups broth (you can substitute water, but I like the savory flavor from using chicken broth)
1 cup mushrooms, cleaned and chopped
1 zucchini, diced
1 tbsp olive oil
cumin
salt
pepper
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
cilantro, chopped
lime

Place the quinoa and broth in a pot and bring to a boil. Cover with a lid and lower heat to simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes, until tender.

While the quinoa is cooking, warm olive oil in a skillet. Saute the mushrooms and zucchini until tender. Add cumin, salt and pepper and stir to season well.

Combine the quinoa and the vegetable mixture in a bowl. Add black beans and stir to combine well. Add cilantro and lime to taste. Re-season with salt and pepper if necessary.