Quinoa Skillet

It was 8:30 pm and we hadn't had dinner yet. On the verge of giving in and ordering a pizza, I hunted through the pantry and came up with these items: quinoa, black beans, and tomatoes canned last summer. Then from the freezer, roasted green chiles from last summer's farmers market and frozen corn, and from the fridge-red and green peppers and a sweet onion.

Jim chopped, I cooked, and we both really enjoyed this healthy meal! Quinoa is a powerhouse grain-high in protein, a good source of fiber, balanced in essential amino acids, and best of all tonight, fast cooking. What follows is my best guess at the impromptu recipe that emerged from this pantry hunt...

Ingredients

1 c. quinoa, rinsed well
1 1/2 c. water or vegetable broth
1/2 tsp. salt
1 T. olive oil
1 red pepper, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 sweet onion, diced
several green chiles, diced
1 c. frozen corn
1 can black beans
1 1/2 c. tomatoes (I used some I had canned but a can of diced tomatoes would work great here)
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
salt to taste

Directions
1. In a saucepan, combine rinsed quinoa, water or broth, and salt. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 15 min. or until all water is absorbed and quinoa is tender.

2. While quinoa is cooking, heat olive oil over medium heat in a large frying pan or wok. Add peppers and onions and cook until soft. Add green chilis, corn, black beans, tomatoes, and spices and let simmer until everything is heated through.

3. Stir quinoa into pepper mixture and adjust seasonings. I went light on seasonings so you may want to use more.