Black bean and quinoa lettuce cups

Serves 8

Ready in 15 mins + cooling

1 Tbsp neutral oil

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 tsp ground cumin pinch of cayenne pepper zest of 1⁄2 lemon, finely grated

11⁄2 cups cooked black beans or a 400g can black beans, drained and rinsed

11⁄2 cups cooked quinoa (1⁄2 cup raw)

2 Tbsp lemon juice

To serve

10 cherry tomatoes, quartered flesh of 1 large avocado, diced

1 spring onion, finely chopped

2 Tbsp finely chopped coriander salt and ground black pepper, to taste 812 firm leaves cos or iceberg lettuce

Method

Heat oil in a large frying pan. Add garlic, cumin, cayenne and lemon zest and sizzle for about 30 seconds. Add beans and toss over heat for 12 minutes. Remove from heat, mix in precooked quinoa and lemon juice and leave to cool.

When ready to serve, add tomatoes, avocado, spring onion and coriander. Season to taste. Toss to combine and serve in a bowl with lettuce cups alongside so people can help themselves.

Annabel says: My favourite way to cook a batch of quinoa is to saute 2 finely diced shallots in 3 Tbsp olive oil until tender but not browned.

Rinse 1 cup quinoa in a sieve under cold water, drain well and add to shallots with 1 cups water and a good pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook on lowest heat until all the water has been absorbed and the quinoa has split open, revealing the germ of the kernel. Allow to stand for 5 minutes then fluff with a fork. Makes about 3 cups. Leftover cooked quinoa will keep in the fridge for 34 days and also freezes well.