I first had this at a party at Melissa T’s. It was great so I begged her for the recipe. I have since become very wary of quinoa. It frequently gives me very bad stomache aches that last for days. Seriously. Days. True Roots brand  wild rice and quinoa blend seems safe for me so might try it with that sometime. Or even just wild rice would be good.

Curried Mango Quinoa Salad
1 cup quinoa
1-2 ripe mangos, peeled and chopped
1/2 red or yellow pepper , chopped ( I add both )
1/4 english cucumber, Chopped
2-3 green onions or a chunk of purple onion, chopped
2 cups ( packed ) baby spinach, torn or sliced ( optional)
half a 19oz can of black beans, rinsed and drained
handful of torn cilantro ( optional)

Dressing:
1/4 cup canola oil
2-4 tbsp. white balsamic vinegar or white wine
1tbsp mango chutney
1tsp honey
1tsp curry powder or mild paste
1/4 tsp cumin

Rinse Quinoa well under cool water in a fine sieve, then cook 1 cup of quinoa in 2 cups of boiling salted water, lid on, over medium heat until tender but still firm to bit, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. ( just like you’d cook pasta)
Drain well, return to the pot, put lid back on and let steam – this will produce fluffy quinoa – until cooled.

combine the oil, vinegar, chutney, honey, curry and cumin in a small jar or bowl and shake or whisk to blend.

Put the quinoa, mango, vegetables and beans in a large bowl, drizzle with dressing and toss until well coated. serves 4-6

To make this suitable for high school lunch I left out the onion and spinach.