More quinoa please!

I love me some quinoa! It seems ridiculous to me that I only discovered it a couple of years ago. After all, the Incas and the Aztecs knew about it ages ago. I'm a slouch. Very embarrassing. Anyway, I am always on the lookout for new recipes highlighting quinoa, and this one fell into my inbox last week, just begging me to try it. It also coincided with a post from a friend of mine saying that she had just bought quinoa for the first time, and that it had "better be good" because it was more expensive than rice. Well, Heather, this recipe is for you. Trust me - it is way better than rice :-)

One Pan Mexican Quinoa
adapted from damndelicious.net
Serves 8

2 TBSP olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 jalapeños, finely chopped
2 cups quinoa (I used red, but it doesn't matter)
4 cups vegetable broth
2 (15 oz) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes
2 cups corn kernels (I used frozen, straight from the freezer)
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste
2 avocados, halved, seeded, peeled and diced
juice of 2 limes
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro (coriander leaves)

1. Heat oil in a large skillet. Add garlic and jalapeño and cook, stirring constantly, for a minute by which time it should be really fragrant, but not browning.
2. Add quinoa, broth, beans, tomatoes, corn, chili powder and cumin. Stir together, and bring to the boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the quinoa is cooked (this took about 25 minutes).
3. Stir in avocado, lime juice and cilantro and check seasoning before serving.