Quinoa Salad with Orange Vinaigrette

Cara and I threw together what I think was a very tasty salad for dinner tonight.  I wanted to write it down before I lost it and share it with you as well.  It is a vegan dish (no, we are not going vegan… just trying to eat less meat) that you can throw together rather quickly.  It is great as a main dish, but I would imagine it would work well for a side dish or a potluck.  Oh yeah, this dish is insanely healthy too!

• 2 Cups Quinoa (rinsed)
• 1 Tbsp vegetable broth paste (or bullion cubes)
• Olive Oil
• 4-5 Roma Tomatoes
• 2 Green Onions
• 28 oz can of Black Beans
• 1 cup of frozen corn
• 1 Orange
• 1 Tbsp Sherry Vinegar
• 1 Tbsp Stone-Ground Mustard
• Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Boil 4 cups of water with the broth paste or cubes and a splash of olive oil.  Add the Quinoa and heat on low, stirring infrequently.  It cooks a lot like rice, so any rice method will work, really.  Once it is cooked, cool it.  You can do this ahead of time on the counter.  If you prefer a rapid chill (this is how we did it tonight), spread it on a jelly roll sheet and put it in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, seed and chop the tomatoes.  Chop the Green Onions.
3. Bring the beans to a low boil in the bean liquid.  Add the corn until it is thawed.  Rinse with cold water and let it drain.
4. Make the dressing: Zest (with a micro plane) and juice the orange.  Add the vinegar and mustard to the orange juice and zest. Whisk in a few tablespoons of olive oil.  Salt to taste.
5. Once the Quinoa is cooled, mix it gently with the tomatoes, green onion, beans and corn.  Drizzle in the dressing to taste.  Salt and pepper to taste.
6. You are done.  Eat it.