Salad: Black Bean Quinoa Salad with Cherry Tomatoes

From Shelly Carey

Ingredients
1 cup quinoa (pronounced keen-wah), rinsed
1 teaspoon whole cumin (seeds)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 ½ -2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
2 shallots, thinly sliced
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoons salt plus more to taste
Cilantro, chopped (optional for mixing into salad)
Cilantro springs for garnish

Directions
Cook quinoa in a pot or rice cooker with enough water to cover by 1 centimeter.

In a dry pan, toast cumin seeds until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
In a large bowl bowl, toss together cherry tomatoes, shallots (crumple them with your hands), olive oil, cayenne, black pepper, and toasted cumin, optional chopped cilantro, and 1 teaspoon salt.

When quinoa is done, allow it to cool slightly, then add to the bowl. Mix everything well, and add more salt if needed. Garnish with cilantro sprigs and serve.