Mojito Lime Tilapia & Zesty Quinoa Salad

Although I’m not much of a fish lover, I have to admit, last night’s tilapia dinner was totally delish! It’s funny because this is something I just whipped together with little expectations.

If I had known it was going to turn out this good, I would have taken prettier pictures. So, instead, you get a pic of my dinner on paper plates – because, after a long hard day, that’s how I roll! Bonnie really doesn’t like to do dishes!

If you are new to Quinoa, read my blog:  Cooking with Quinoa.

Here’s what you will need…

Grilled Tilapia:

• Fresh Tilapia
• Olive Oil
• Lime Juice
• Grill Mates Mojito Lime Seasoning
• Italian Bread Crumbs

Coat the fish with olive oil and lime juice. Then, heavily season both sides of the fish, topping with a light sprinkle of bread crumbs to add a little bit of crunch. Place each piece of fish on the hot grill (I have a pan I use to grill fish) for approximately 4 minutes on each side. Since I like my edges crispy and a little charred, I turn my grill up at the last minute until I get the crispiness I want.

Zesty Black Bean & Corn Quinoa Ingredients: 

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1/2 can of Ro-Tel diced tomatoes with lime and cilantro
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 12-oz. can seasoned black beans, drained
• 1 1/2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
• 1 chopped green bell pepper
• 2 finely chopped jalapeños
• 1 cup corn kernels
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (I was out, so I skipped this darn it!)
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (cuz ♪ some like it hot and some sweat when the heat is on ♫ )
• sea salt or kosher salt and a bit of fresh cracked black pepper, to taste

For dressing

• 5 tablespoons fresh lime juice, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin, or to taste
• 1/3 cup olive oil (I cut mine with water, or skip it, to reduce calories)

Combine the black beans and vinegar and let sit. Once the quinoa is cooked, combine all the ingredients for the black bean and corn quinoa together (including the black beans). In a separate smaller bowl, combine the ingredients dressing and toss together until it is all well coated. I served this hot with the tilapia, but it is also amazing cold (which is how I will eat it for leftovers!) Since this is so good cold, you may want to double the ingredients so you are well stocked with leftovers like we do!