Mango and Black Bean Quinoa Salad

It's that time of year again, folks! The 9 day luncheon! The annual pot luck get together of all the women in my bungalow colony for shmoozing and overeating-very appropriate for the 9 days, right? Well, there are two constants every year at the luncheon- it always rains (think that's a sign from above?) and there is always rokot krumpli, a Hungarian egg and potato dish. Well, this year tradition ended. It did rain (hence the badly lit picture below) but alas there was no rokot krumpli. Yes, we were devastated.
But I digress.
Now, on to what I brought.
Every year I try to think of something that no one else will bring. Last year it was sushi. Two years ago it was this tortellini salad (big hit, by the way) and somehow I convinced myself that a quinoa salad was the perfect dish. I had mangoes lying around and lots of black beans and they are a great combo together and thus this salad was born. Together with the lime dressing the salad is light and refreshing and just the perfect summer salad.
 Now, the women who come to this event are clearly divided into two categories. Over 50 and under 35 and the two ages sit at two separate tables on opposite sides of the room every single year. The one exception to this rule is yours truly who always sits at the over 50 table, it's just how I roll. The under 35's were very familiar with quinoa and they loved it. The over 50's loved it too but needed a tutorial and some convincing ("vus iz dus? nisht from da alta heim" (that's my broken yiddish and a total exaggeration, all English speakers there, but I'm sticking with it). Bottom line, this salad will be a big hit no matter your age. Enjoy!


2 cups quinoa
4 cups water
1 can (around 15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 large mango, diced
1 small red onion, diced
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley

Dressing:
2 large limes, zest and juice
3 Tbl honey
1/2 cup light olive oil
2 tsp dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste

Rinse the quinoa VERY well for at least a minute under running water until the water runs clear. If you skip this step the quinoa will be bitter! Place the quinoa in a pot with the water, bring to a boil and then let it simmer until the water is absorbed. In the meantime, whisk together the ingredients for the dressing until emulsified and season well. Let the quinoa cool for about 20 minutes and then add the dressing. The quinoa should still be warm when the dressing is added. Add the black beans, mangoes, red onion and parsley and mix. Season the entire mixture with some more salt and pepper to taste and serve at room temperature.