Calling something this delicious a salad is like calling Sofia Vergara attractive. Hello understatement of the year! Orange, as it turns out, is coriander’s media naranja. I can’t believe I’ve never had them together before. This salad is also supahealthy with its trendy complete protein, quinoa, and seasonally-appropriate vitamin-c-filled oranges.
Quinoa and Black Bean Winter Salad
Ingredients
1 cup of uncooked black beans or 1 1/2 cups of black beans from a can
1 cup of uncooked quinoa
2 oranges
4 tablespoons of olive oil
2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon of honey or sugar
1/2 teaspoon of coriander
1/4 cup of cilantro
1/2 small red onion
Pepper and salt to taste
Instructions
1. Since I live at the very ends of the earth, a can of black beans costs about €4.50. And because that’s obscene, I make my beans myself. If you’re in the same boat, don’t worry: it takes a little bit of planning, but it’s not impossible. Start by soaking a cup of beans in water the night before you’re going to make the salad.
2. In the morning, rinse and drain the beans and put them in a pan with a few cups of fresh water. Bring the pan to a boil, then turn the heat down to low, cover it with a lid and let it cook for 45 minutes to an hour, stirring occasionally. You’ll know they’re finished when they’re soft and not chalky inside. Drain the water and they’re ready to use.
3. While the beans are cooking, you can do everything else. Apparently, quinoa is something you should rinse before cooking so that it doesn’t taste soapy. I don’t have a small enough strainer, so I skip this step and it still taste great every time. Pour the quinoa into a pan along with 2 cups of water. Just like the beans, you’re going to bring it to a boil, cover it with a lid and turn the heat to low. In about 15 minutes, the water should all be absorbed and your quinoa should be ready.
4. While the quinoa and beans are cooking, work on your oranges. First, wash and zest one of them. If you’ve never zested before or are lacking a zester, you can use a fork or a knife. Just make sure you don’t accidentally take any of the sour pith along with your zest.
5. Now we’re going to supreme the oranges!
Destiny’s Child who?
You do this by peeling the oranges and peeling each segment apart. Then, using a really sharp knife, cut the pithy membrane from the juicy inside. Squeeze the juice from the membrane and save it for later and slice the supreme’d oranges into smaller pieces.
6. It’s sauce time. Mix the olive oil, vinegar and honey with all the orange juice you squeezed out of the oranges. You should have at least 6 tablespoons. Add the orange zest, about a 1/2 teaspoon of salt and another 1/2 teaspoon of pepper and the coriander. If you can only find corriander seeds, try your best to ground them up. It’s kinda gross biting into a whole seed and you don’t need some stupid seed ruining your salad experience.
7. Chop chop chop your cilantro and onion.
8.. When the quinoa and beans are ready, mix them together. Add the orange slices, cilantro and onion. Finally pour the sauce on and stir it all in.
Inspired by The Kitchn
When purchasing the quinoa, make sure it’s from the US, as countries who rely on quinoa as a food source are having their economies fucked up because the price of quinoa is rising because of demand in the US~
Having said that, this looks tasty as hell.
that’s a really good point! i read this the other day and was like woahhhhh
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2110890,00.html
Wow I am a huge asshole who didn’t realize you were in Spain MY BAD I AM SO SORRY. I AM TIRED AND TODAY WAS FIRST DAY OF CLASSES.
oh and don’t even worry. it’s a thing here too =)
Question though, how is quinoa pronounced? I’ve never actually heard someone say it out loud before and in my head I just pronounce it how it’s spelled (kwi-noh-a) but I have no idea if that’s even correct.
It’s kee-nwa!
@mizbitters My Spanish speaking face votes for kwi-noh-a.
Wait, I meant kee-noh-a. Sometimes even I can’t spell my own pronunciation right.
Okay so what if someone couldn’t stand cilantro but wanted to try this. What would you recommend? Basil? Parsley? I feel like it wouldn’t be the same at all :(
Oooh, are you a super taster? I know people who don’t like cilantro because it tastes soapy to them. Mint, basil, or celery leaf are good substitutes :)
Super taster! Sounds like a superpower! Yeah, it tastes like soapy, dirty socks to me :\
Some people (myself included) are genetically wired to dislike cilantro. Coriander is the same thing, so make sure not to use it, either!
I’d go with parsley myself. Celery leaf would work too. I think given the amounts mint would be a bit overwhelming for me.
The website I was reading said you use about half the amount of mint and throw in some balsamic vinegar to make it less ‘chilly’.
i think mint would be delicious!
Despite canned black beans actually being cheap where I live (ohio) I still make all my own.
Expect: I make them in HUGE batches in my crock pot, freeze them in 1- 1 1/2 cup portions (in the bean juice) and have super cheap and tastier beans whenever I want!
I do the same thing with brown rice becuase it takes so long to cook.
Add some veggies and hello dinner with 5 mintues of effort.
this is brilliant. i do this with rice because it’s a pain in the ass to wash the pots but i’ve never thought of beans.
wait but you guys SUPREME THE ORANGES.
THANK YOU! This was my favorite part of the whole recipe.
I love the thought of orange being something’s media naranja. I also love this term, which you’ve just taught me. Idiomatic (both colloquial and relating to learning idiomas) word play with cooking! ¡Gracias!
<3
my friend and i think it’s really funny to cut oranges in half and hand a half to someone and ask if they’ll be our media naranja. no one thinks we’re funny but us.
Every year, right in the middle if January, a bushel of honey bell oranges appears on my doorstep compliments of an old client of mine. Two days ago, Bam! Oranges. So guess what’s for dinner! Also, if you don’t want to wait overnight you can quick soak the beans. For every 2 cups of beans add about 6-8 cups of water to a pot. Bring to a rapid boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and just let them sit for about an hour. Then drain and rinse. Boom! Ready to be cooked.
digger come make me dinner
I’ll provide the dinner. You provide the floor show.
digger thank you for teaching me this thing!
Anything for you. I’ll never forget how you rescued my luggage from the virgins of the air.
I have all these things at home and I’m really hungry right now. this is gonna be the best midnight snack. thank you.
To rinse your quinoa just place it in a bowl.. add water and use either cheesecloth, a thin towel or double up a paper towel and adjust over the bowl. Hold it and flip to drain.
This could also be delicious tossed with a splash of champagne vinegar :)
I didn’t know “to supreme” could be a verb, but supreme-ing oranges is definitely my favorite kitchen trick! And now I have a word for it! (…this was how I felt upon learning the word “gay” also)
ANYWAY, to supreme your oranges, don’t peel em! Just cut off the skin/pith with same sharp knife you’ll section them with, then section. Pictures would be better…. google… like so:
Also thanks Laura this looks fantastic and (bonus) like something I can make with things I often have in my kitchen and without fiddly exact measurements. Yay!
this recipe might be it. after 7 years of vegetarian, I may finally get into quinoa!!
Look up quinoa risotto!!! There is one really good recipe on http://www.poorgirleatswell.com
Dear god I’m trying to imagine black beans at 4 and a half euros o_0 What do people do for cheap protein? I lived off beans this summer, they’re 77 cents a can where I live.
Also this looks unbelievably delicious!
Hmmm this looks really delicious. What is the difference between cilantro and coriander? I always though they were the same???
technically, they´re the same thing but (at least where i lived in the u.s.) we call the green leafy stuff cilantro and the seeds corriander.
I just made this right now and it is SO DELICIOUS. Although I supremely failed at supreming the oranges.