WW Recipe of the Day: Cumin-Scented Black Beans & Quinoa
Looking for a tasty alternative to black beans and rice? How about Black Beans and Quinoa?
It's an easy, healthy and delicious, protein-rich dish that works equally well as a side or main dish. Serve it plain, or to fancy it up, "Top it with fresh tomato salsa and crumbled queso fresco or feta cheese," as suggested in the recipe's headnotes.
Cumin Scented Black Beans and Quinoa
This recipe for black beans and quinoa is another winner from one of my favorite cookbooks, 5 Easy Steps to Healthy Cooking: 500 Recipes for Lifelong Wellness by Camilla Saulsbury, which I've mentioned here several times.
My sister recently picked up a copy. When I talked to her today, she mentioned that she has dozens of post-it-notes marking recipes she's planning to try. Is there a better cookbook endorsement?
Light yet filling, this tasty cumin-scented black beans and quinoa is the kind of dish I love to eat for lunch.
Recently, I enjoyed it for lunch with half of a chopped up cooked turkey burger and some pico de gallo on top. It's also yummy on a bed of greens with a little salsa and cheese.
How Many Calories and WW Points in this Quinoa Salad?According to my calculations each serving has 154 calories and:
4 *SmartPoints (Green plan)
3 *SmartPoints (Blue plan)
0 *SmartPoints (Purple plan)
4 *PointsPlus (Old plan)
To see your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site, Click here!
I think this works for WW Simply Filling too, provided you don't exceed your daily good health guidelines for healthy oils.
Making Perfect Quinoa on the Stove
Optional Toppings
Be sure to adjust your Points accordingly with any added toppings!
- Chopped avocado
- Salsa or pico de gallo
- Crumbled or shredded cheese
- Corn, tomatoes, cucumber, shredded carrots, edamame, etc.
- Pineapple, mango, mandarin oranges, etc.
Southwestern Mexican Quinoa Salad with Black Beans, Corn & Avocado
If you enjoyed this black beans with quinoa, be sure to check out my other Weight Watchers Friendly recipes including Crock Pot Veggie Quinoa, Crock Pot Caribbean Black Beans, Southwestern Stoplight Quinoa Salad, Skinny Black Bean & Cheese Nachos and WW Chicken & Quinoa Salad
If you've made this Quinoa with Black Beans, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.
Cumin-Scented Black Beans & Quinoa Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1-½ cups chopped white onions
- ¾ cup quinoa, rinsed well
- 1-½ teaspoons ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon chipotle chile powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1-¼ cups water
- 1 can (about 15 ounces) black beans, rinsed well and drained
- ½ cup packed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped, divided
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the red pepper and onions and cook, stirring often, until slightly softened about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the quinoa, cumin, chile powder, salt and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cover. Simmer until quinoa is barely tender, about 15 minutes.
- Stir in the beans and half the cilantro and simmer, uncovered, until the liquid is absorbed, about 3 minutes.
- Serve sprinkled with the remaining cilantro
Recipe Notes
Source: 5 Easy Steps to Healthy Cooking: 500 Recipes for Lifelong Wellness (affiliate link) by Camilla Saulsbury
*Points® calculated by WW. *PointsPlus® and SmartPoints® calculated by Simple Nourished Living; Not endorsed by Weight Watchers International, Inc. All recipe ingredients except optional items included in determining nutritional estimates. SmartPoints® values calculated WITHOUT each plan's ZeroPoint Foods (Green plan, Blue plan, Purple plan) using the WW Recipe Builder.
If you like this black beans and quinoa recipe you might also like:
- Camilla's Lemony Lentil and Quinoa Salad (Simple Nourished Living)
- Chicken Quinoa Salad with Dried Fruit (Simple Nourished Living)
- Quinoa Tabbouleh (EverydayMaven)
- Quinoa and Tomato Salad (Weight Watchers)
Martha is the founder and main content writer for Simple-Nourished-Living.
A longtime lifetime WW at goal, she is committed to balancing her love of food and desire to stay slim while savoring life and helping others do the same.
She is the author of the Smart Start 28-Day Weight Loss Challenge.
A huge fan of the slow cooker and confessed cookbook addict, when she's not experimenting in the kitchen, you're likely to find Martha on her yoga mat.
This post contains affiliate links to products I like. When you buy something through one of my Amazon links or other (affiliate links), I receive a small commission that helps support this site. Thank you for your purchase!
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Allyson
How much dry quinoa?! I'm making this tonight but that's not included in the recipe! Please email me!
Martha McKinnon
Hi Allyson, I just checked the recipe and it's there: 3/4 cup!
Food to Fitness
This looks great! Thanks for the recipe.
Wonet
This was a main dish for us. I add d very small amount of shredded cheese and chipotle salsa (I did not have chipotle chili powder). We loved it