A Warm Mexican Style Sweet Potato, Quinoa, and Black Bean Salad

The first meal I cooked in our new home! And if you know me well, you are not at all surprised that it has quinoa in it. 😉

Such a colorful salad with so many healthy and delicious ingredients in it! And it was just as delicious as it was those other things! My hubby…my mom….we all thought so!

• Servings: 8-10
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*Created by Lori at Creating Beauty in the Kitchen 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups quinoa
• 3 sweet potatoes
• 2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• About 10 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 large avocados
• Lots of fresh Cilantro
• Honey
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Chile Powder
• 1 Lemon
• 1 white onion
• Olive oil
• 2 fresh garlic cloves, minced

Directions:

• After peeling the sweet potatoes, boil them for about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, put 4 cups of water into a pot and boil. When it begins to boil, add in the quinoa until it begins to boil again.
• Reduce to medium heat, place a lid on it, and let simmer for about 12 minutes.
• By now, your sweet potatoes will be ready to cut up. Slice them into small pieces. Set aside.
• Dice up a white onion and put it in a skillet with some olive oil, Saute for a few minutes. Add in the garlic, sweet potatoes, chili powder, and honey.
• When the quinoa has finished simmering for 12 min, take it off the heat, stir, cover again, and let sit for 15 minutes.
• Cut up the avocado (I mashed it up a bit), adding the lemon juice from 1/2 of a lemon.
• Slice the tomatoes in half and set aside. Wash and cut up the fresh cilantro.
• Add the drained and rinsed black beans to the skillet with the sweet potatoes. Add more chile powder and the juice from the other half of the lemon. Mix around and let heat. Make sure to stir often, so your sweet potatoes don’t get burnt.
• When this is finished, add all your ingredients together. Add some extra sauce by using a mixture of honey, balsamic vinegar, and more chile powder (depending on how spicy you want it.)

Enjoy!