Quinoa Taco Salad

It's getting colder out which means we naturally remove ourselves from cold, albeit fresh, salads and opt for the more meatier (plant based of course) soups and rice dishes. So we've been having a lot of rice and bean dishes ... variations of the same, according to HOMY. He'd rather not eat another rice and bean dish for a few months :) !! I have been missing the greens in my diet and today when we came home with a salad box of baby spinach I decided to make a taco salad ... except HOMY is not a big fan of TVP and is fed-up with beans .. hmm? Stuck between a rock and a hard place .. not quite so because he loves Quinoa and I had the perfect idea to turn my Quinoa Chili recipe into a Quinoa Taco Meat recipe. 

Prep Time: 20 min

Ingredients (Serves 4):

1. 1 cup Quinoa, rinsed and drained.
2. 1 cup Water
3. 1/2 Medium Red Onion, diced
4. 1 can (15 oz) Dark Red Kidney Beans, rinsed and drained
5. 2 Large Tomatoes, diced
6. 2 cups Yellow Corn, steamed and ready to serve. 
7. 1 lb Baby Spinach, rinsed and ready to serve
8. 1 tbsp minced Garlic
9. 2 tsp Cumin powder
10. 2 Coriander powder
11. 1 tsp Italian seasoning
12. 1 tsp Taco seasoning
13. 2 tsp dried Cilantro leaves
14. 2 tsp Chipotle Pepper (add more, to taste)
15. 1 tbsp Light Molasses
16. 4 tbsp Soy Sauce, or Bragg's Liquid Aminos
17. Salt and Pepper, to taste
18. Salsa, as dressing, to taste.
19. Sliced Avocados or Guacamole, to taste (optional)
20. Sliced Jalapenos, to taste (optional)
21. Tortilla Strips, to taste (optional)

Directions:

In a large non-stick skillet, mix quinoa, water, red onion, and all spices and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cover and allow to simmer until quinoa is cooked well (about 10-12 min). Remove cover, mix in Kidney beans and allow the excess water to evaporate until the mixture has the consistency of well-browned taco meat. Taste test and add more cumin, taco seasoning, salt and chili peppers, if needed. Split the baby spinach into 4 large salad bowls. Top off with a generous sprinkle of yellow corn and fresh tomatoes. Drop a generous dollop of taco meat in the middle, add salsa for dressing and serve. Garnish with optional taco salad toppings, if you wish. 

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving): Calories 349 (Fat Calories 42)
Total Fat 4.7 g; Carbohydrates 65.9 g; Fiber 12.5 g; Sugars 9.7 g; Protein 17.0 g


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