Black Bean Quinoa Bowl with Cilantro Honey Lime Vinaigrette

My friend Amy was looking for lunch recipes and one of her friends posted this recipe.  It looked good, but it needed some additions (like meat) if D and I were going to have it for dinner.  I ran it through My Fitness Pal and was able to come up with this.

4 servings in huge and it had a lot of flavor.  I would have again. And I'm looking forward to it for lunch tomorrow.

You can lower the calories by reducing/omitting the avocado, omitting the chicken, etc.

Black Bean Quinoa Bowl with Cilantro Honey Lime Vinaigrette

YIELD: 4 servings
PREP TIME: 10 minutes
COOK TIME: 20 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 30 minutes

Photo by ALB

Adapted from Veggie and the Beast Feast

Ingredients
1 lb cooked chicken breast, cut in 1-inch pieces (D sauteed with Southwest Seasoning)
2 teaspoons canola oil
1/4 cup diced red onion
1 cup quinoa, uncooked
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 red onion, cut into thin slices
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin slices
1 jalapeno, chopped
2 avocados
4 TBSP Cojita Cheese (optional)
Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette,

Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette
1/2 cup cilantro
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 lime, juiced (about 1 1/2 tbsp) and zested
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/4 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)

Directions
Heat 2 tsp of canola oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the chopped red onion and cook until starting to soften, 2-3 minutes. Pour in the dry quinoa and toast, stirring frequently, for 3-5 minutes. Add 2 cups water and salt, bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the water is absorbed. Set aside. Toss together the cooked quinoa with the chicken, black beans, thinly-sliced red onion, red bell pepper, jalapeno, and avocado in a bowl.

To make the vinaigrette, combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until completely smooth. Taste and adjust salt to your liking.

Pour the vinaigrette over the quinoa and toss well. Serve with corn tortilla chips, if you like. Can be eaten hot or cold.

Nutritional Information (from My Fitness Pal)
Calories: 562; Total Fat: 19 g; Saturated Fat: 2 g; Monounsaturated Fat: 8 g; Polyunsaturated Fat: 4 g; Trans Fat: 0 g; Cholesterol: 84 mg; Sodium: 961 mg; Potassium: 608 mg; Total Carbohydrate: 63 g; Dietary Fiber: 11 g; Sugars: 15 g; Protein: 42 g