Mexican Quinoa Salad

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Mexican Quinoa Salad
Adapted From Cooking Quinoa

3 cups cooked quinoa*
1 can corn, rinsed
1 1/2 can black beans, rinsed
1/4 cup tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Dressing:
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper (optional)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Juice of 1 lemon
1/3 cup olive oil

In a large bowl combine quinoa, corn, black beans, tomatoes and cilantro. In a small bowl combine cumin, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, olive oil, and lemon juice. Whisk until well combined. Toss quinoa salad with 3/4 of dressing (to taste) and serve warm or cold. Drizzle additional dressing on top as desired.

*When making quinoa, rinse the grain thoroughly, then combine with water in a 1:1.75 ratio (so for every cup of quinoa, you'd use 1 3/4 cups water). Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 15 or so minutes, until the water is absorbed. I used the standard 1:2 ratio of quinoa to water, and it came out mushy and I have to boil some of the water off, so using slightly less will work wonders, I think. Note that 1 cup of dried quinoa will approximately yield 3 cups cooked quinoa.

My Notes:
A couple weeks ago, one of my friends brought dinner for all of us studying in the library, and made a quinoa salad. I fell in love with the stuff and vowed to make something of my own. So, I scoured the internet as I usually do and came across the recipe above. I bought all the ingredients for it... and then went on vacation (I couldn't find the quinoa until the night before I left). When I came back, my lime had rotted, and all I had was a lemon, so I used that instead. It turned out a little bland, so I used some old taco sauce to spice it up a little, and then eventually threw the leftovers in a soup. I'll keep working on it.

Bulgogi

Bulgogi: Essentially, Korean BBQ. There's the traditional way, which takes like 3 days. And then there's the easy way, which takes a couple hours.

Bulgogi
Originally found in Cambridge Lutheran Cookbook

1 lb lean beef (steak quality, not roast quality)
2 Tbsp sugar
4 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp neutral oil (like vegetable or sesame)
1 tsp sesame seeds
4 Tbsp chopped green onion
3/4 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp black pepper

Cut the beef into thin, cross-grain slices. Place in a bowl, and sprinkle 1 Tbsp sugar over, tossing gently. Combine remaining ingredients and mix well. Add to beef mixture and toss to coat. Place in refrigerator and allow to sit for at least an hour, overnight if possible.

Cook on a grill, broil, or pan fry, discarding excess marinade. Serve over rice.

My Notes:

I first had bulgogi when I was in Colorado. My mom had a friend who was Korean, and made it for some work function they had. I fell in love with the stuff. So when I was flipping through the cookbook my grandma sent me (hence the reason I have a Lutheran cookbook), I found an easy recipe for it. This one is slightly modified based on other web recipes I found.

It's OMG good. Nice and tender and sweet, but also savory. My taste buds are doing a little dance as I consume it. My leftovers probably won't make it past tomorrow. But at least I'm cooking with some meat other than chicken!

And I'm trying to get a picture, promise. I've made it twice and keep forgetting to snag my camera before I chow down.