quinoa, black bean, and hominy salad.

i could sit and watch food network all day. better yet, i could sit and watch giada de laurentiis all day and come up with a new one-liner for every episode. not because i'm good with the jokes, but because the lady is ASKING to be made fun of with her perfect italian pronunciations and overly-excited hand gestures. also, i love her and want to give her a hug. boobs and all.

this salad is crazy good and i know tis true because my meat-eating husband frequently request this dish be added to the weekly menu. it's very tex-mexy and even better wrapped in butter lettuce leaves like a taco.

quinoa, black bean, and hominy salad
1 cup quinoa
1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
15 oz can black beans rinsed
15 oz can hominy rinsed (fresh or frozen corn works too)
handful of fresh parsley

vinaigrette
1-2 limes
good olive oil
heaping tsp of cumin
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

1. cook the quinoa and stock in a saucepan until it comes to a boil. reduce heat and continue to cook until the quinoa has soaked up most of the stock. let cool.
2. in a big bowl, add rinsed beans, rinsed hominy, and a handful of chopped parsley. add the cooled quinoa and mix well.
3. in a small bowl, whisk together the juice of 1 lime, a glug of extra virgin olive oil, cumin, and a generous amount of salt and pepper. pour over the quinoa and stir. if the salad looks a bit dry, add a bit more lime juice and olive oil. more cumin and salt never hurt anybody either.

ps: hominy is kinda like corn kernels on steroids. look for it in the mexicano aisle at the grocery.

recipe adapted from giada de laurentiis.