Recipe of the Week: Black Beans and Quinoa

"Laughter is the valve on the pressure cooker of life. Either you laugh and suffer, or you got your beans or brains on the ceiling." ~Wavy Gravy

"How much do you usually spend at the grocery store?" is a question I have been asking friends and collegues a lot lately. Week after week I leave the market having shelled out (on average) between $175-$200. After talking with countless people I realize that I am not alone...the majority I spoke with were in the same financial ballpark.

This knowledge didn't made me feel any better though, and I have become determined to cut our weekly bill. (I've read blogs from women who are able to feed a family of four on fifty dollars a week but that just seems like an impossible dream) I have been diligent about planning our meals around what is on sale and I use coupons when I can, picking items up and freezing them for later. It is definitely helping.

One Saturday I decided to put off my shopping for a day or two and try to come up with a tasty recipe using only what I had. What I came up with I thought was great and different...until I went online and googled the ingredients I had used.

You know that saying, "There are no new ideas?" Clearly I am no trendsetter, since there were quite a few recipes like mine. Though to put things into perspective, it was a pretty different dish for me, since I grew up in a house where the only beans we saw were either baked or green (from a can).

Here is my super easy (definitely not one-of-a-kind) recipe for Black Beans and Quinoa.

Black Beans and Quinoa

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup quinoa
• 1 15 oz can Bush's seasoned black beans drained (not rinsed)
• 1 15 oz can sweet corn
• salt and pepper to taste
• salsa
• sour cream (optional)

Directions:

• Place water and quinoa into a small saucepan and heat until boiling.
• Once it boils turn the heat down to low and simmer about 15 minutes, until all the water is absorbed.
• Empty the beans and corn into a bowl.
• Add the quinoa and mix everything together, adding salt and pepper.
• Spoon into individual bowls and top with salsa and sour cream, if using.

Enjoy!