Black bean and quinoa lettuce cups

Annabel Langbein Media

My favourite way to cook a batch of quinoa is to saute 2 finely diced shallots in 3 Tbsp olive oil until tender but not browned. Rinse 1 cup quinoa in a sieve under cold water, drain well and add to shallots with 11⁄2 cups water and a good pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook on lowest heat until all the water has been absorbed and the quinoa has split open, revealing the germ of the kernel. Allow to stand for 5 minutes then fluff with a fork. Makes about 3 cups. Leftover cooked quinoa will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days and also freezes well.

Ingredients

1 Tbsp	Neutral oil
1 clove	Garlic, crushed
1 tsp	Ground cumin
1 pinch	Cayenne pepper
½	Lemons, finely grated zest only
1 ½ cups	Cooked black beans, or a 400g can black beans, drained and rinsed (Main)
1 ½ cups	cooked quinoa, (half a cup raw) (Main)
2 Tbsp	fresh lemon juice

To serve

10	Cherry tomatoes
1 large	Avocado, flesh diced
1	Spring onion, finely chopped
2 Tbsp	Chopped fresh coriander
1 sprinkle	Salt and freshly ground black pepper
8	Cos lettuce leaves, or iceberg lettuce

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large frying pan.
2. Add garlic, cumin, cayenne and lemon zest and sizzle for about 30 seconds. Add beans and toss over heat for 1-2 minutes.
3. Remove from heat, mix in pre-cooked quinoa and lemon juice and leave to cool.
4. When ready to serve, add tomatoes, avocado, spring onion and coriander. Season to taste. Toss to combine and serve in a bowl with lettuce cups alongside so people can help themselves.