Mango Quinoa Salad (with Grilled Chicken)

It's early on a gorgeous Thursday morning.  The sun is shining and the kids are all starting to pop out of bed while I sit here, typing up this wonderful, super-healthy dish straight from the recipe archives of The Biggest Loser.    I'm reminiscing (from just two days ago) about how much we all enjoyed the hearty flavor and texture of this superfood dish and how perfectly the fresh hot grilled chicken complemented the savory and sweet combination of flavors.....perfect for a Memorial Day barbecue!    It got me to wondering..... if I added a few black beans and mango slices to the plate of Mom's Breakfast Cake I have in front of me, could I count that as healthy too? 

Source:  Biggest Loser and Our Best Bites

Click here for printable recipe. 

The ingredients:

2 cups cooked quinoa at room temperature, or chilled* (you can usually find quinoa near the rice in the grocery store)
1 can (15.5-ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 medium mango, peeled and diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
6 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 Tbs. red wine vinegar (we only used 2 tablespoons and thought it was perfect)

3 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1-2 Tbs. lime juice
1 Tbs. sugar (optional)
salt, pepper--to taste
Grilled chicken (if using as a main dish)

Directions: 
* You can cook the quinoa in plain water or in vegetable/chicken broth.  By itself we prefer the quinoa cooked in water, but the broth cooked quinoa was fabulous in the salad. 

Place quinoa in a large bowl.   Add mango, red pepper, green onion, black beans, and cilantro.   In a small bowl, combine vinegar, olive oil, lime juice, and sugar. Whisk until smooth and pour on top of salad.  Toss to combine and add salt and pepper to taste.  For main dish, serve at room temperature with hot grilled chicken.  For a side dish, serve chilled.  Makes 4-6 servings.  Enjoy!