Yesterday was a little crazy so for dinner we just had homemade bean and cheese burritos. They are quick and easy. We just buy a huge bag of pinto beans and pressure cook them into jars and make our own re fried beans. We sometimes add garlic, taco seasoning, small amounts of cheese, and maybe some veggies.

Today for dinner we are going to have a tried, true, healthy, and loved recipe. Try it and you will see. Quinoa Taco Salad-We pretty much follow the recipe to the t except we don't add so many bell peppers. Maybe a little red. I also don't usually add salt to anything. I 'm not a huge salt fan. I seem to think everything tastes salty whether it's been salted of not.We use spinach and lettuce. And I don't chill it. We eat it warm on top of the salad like I think taco salads are suppose to be.:)


•1 cup quinoa
•1 red onion, chopped
•3 cloves garlic, minced
•half a red bell pepper, chopped
•half a green bell pepper, chopped
•half a yellow bell pepper, chopped
•1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
•1/2 teaspoon oregano
•1-2 teaspoons chili powder, depending heat preferences
•dash cayenne pepper
•1 -15 ounce can black beans, drained
•3/4 cup diced tomatoes (fresh or canned)
•2 limes
•salt and pepper, to taste
•6-8 ounces baby spinach
•1 bunch cilantro
•1/3 cup cheddar or feta cheese
•1 avocado, diced
Cook the quinoa according to package instructions.

Meanwhile, swirl a bit of olive oil in a saute pan. Heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion and saute for 3-5 minutes, until translucent and tender. Add garlic, cumin, oregano, chili powder, cayenne and peppers and saute an additional 2 minutes.

Remove from heat. Stir in the black beans, tomatoes, and the juice of 1 lime. Stir in quinoa. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Chill.

Roughly cut baby spinach into strips like you would shred iceberg lettuce for tacos. Remove about 1 cup of cilantro leaves from the bunch, rinse and pat dry, and toss with the spinach. Divide spinach and cilantro mixture evenly among 4 salad plates. Top each plate with a scoop of the quinoa salad. Top each salad with your choice of cheese and diced avocado. Cut the remaining lime into slices to garnish the plates.