Vegan Quinoa Black Bean Salad

Rinse the quinoa, drain, and place it in a 2‑qt pot with 1½ cups water and ½ tsp salt; bring to a boil, cover, reduce to low heat and simmer for 12 minutes.

Remove the pot from heat, let the quinoa sit covered for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork and set aside to cool.

If using canned black beans, drain, rinse, and set aside.

Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and sauté the minced jalapeno and garlic until the garlic is lightly browned.

Add the chopped celery, carrot, green beans, green pepper, and red pepper; sauté for about 5 minutes until the vegetables are tender‑crisp.

Stir in the cumin and coriander powders and cook for 2 minutes to release their aromas.

In a large bowl combine the cooled quinoa, black beans, sautéed vegetables, chopped tomato, cucumber, olives, fresh cilantro, and scallions.

Whisk together lime juice, olive oil, salt, and ground black pepper to make the dressing, then pour it over the salad and toss gently to coat.

Adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper if needed.

Serve the salad warm, or cover and chill in the refrigerator before serving.