Tasty Tuesday # 2: Black Bean Tomato Quinoa Salad

With my crazy schedule - 40 hours of work per week, plus a full-time master's degree program, along with training for a 1/2 marathon and working as an alumnae adviser for my college sorority - I need to save as much time as possible. One easy way to do this is to cook lunches on weekends and take them to work throughout the week. - it's incredibly healthy and very very tasty. I got the recipe from epicurious, and have added my own tweaks to make it more simple and savory. Here's how:

Black Bean Tomato Quinoa Salad:
2 teaspoons grated lime zest ($.10)
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice ($.60)
1 tablespoon olive oil ($.10)
1 teaspoon honey ($.10)
1 cup quinoa ($.50)
1 (14- to 15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained ($.50)
4 medium roma tomatoes, diced ($1.00)
1/4 cup leeks, scallions or onions, chopped ($.75)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro ($1.00)
1 medium avocado ($.55)
1 tsp cayenne pepper sauce ($.05)
salt and pepper to taste (negl)

Directions:
Rinse the quinoa until the water runs clear and flaky grains to not float to the surface. Cook the quinoa as you would rice (1 cup grain to 1 cup water), for about 15 minutes. Drain well. Mix the first 4 ingredients in a bowl. Add quinoa. Stir in tomatoes, leeks, cilantro, avocado, cayenne pepper sauce, and salt/pepper until well mixed. Serve hot or cool for a tasty treat!

Cost:
around $5.25 for 4 servings - one serving in a wrap works perfectly for lunch for me!

Nutrition Info:
Black Bean Tomato Quinoa Salad

Check out the nutritional info - this salad scores major points for critical nutrients like fiber, vitamin C, and iron.