Life Time Fitness - Leadville Race Series

Tossed with black beans, veggies, southwestern-inspired spices and the pucker of lime, this dish is a hit as a side or even all by itself. Bonus: It travels well.

You will need:

• 1 C uncooked quinoa
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• ½ small red onion, chopped fine
• 1 avocado, peeled and diced
• ½ C chopped roasted red peppers
• ½ C frozen corn kernels, thawed
• ¼ C toasted pepitas*
• ¼ C chopped cilantro
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• Juice of ½ lime
• ½ tsp each of dried oregano, ground cumin, sweet or spicy paprika
• Kosher salt and black pepper

Rinse quinoa, then place in a medium saucepan with enough water to cover by about 1 inch. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and reduce heat to low, and let simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Drain any water left in the pan.

While quinoa is cooking, place a baking sheet inside the oven and heat to 375 degrees. Stir 1 tablespoon of the olive oil into the quinoa, then spread quinoa onto the hot baking sheet and sprinkle the garlic on top. Place in the oven to toast for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring halfway through. (Quinoa is toasted when it starts to turn caramel in color and smell fragrant. If toasted too long, it will dry out.)

Pour quinoa into a large bowl. Add the second tablespoon of olive oil, lime juice, spices and salt and pepper to taste. Add beans, onion, avocado, red peppers, corn, pepitas and cilantro. Stir to combine. Add more salt and pepper to taste.

*Pepitas are hulled pumpkin seeds. Toast them in a dry skillet over medium-low heat, shaking the pan frequently, until they start to brown and puff up, about 10 minutes. If you can’t find pepitas, substitute sunflower seeds.

Recipe by Trisha Coffman