Your taste buds will smile: {Mexican Quinoa Bake + Shrimp Tacos}

Would you like something for dinner that is easy, healthy, zesty, and super tasty? Then this quinoa bake is for you! Here's what you'll need:

• 1 cup dry quinoa
• 1 can of black beans, drained & rinsed
• 1 can of diced tomatoes with green chilies (if you like that kind of thing), drained {I used Hunts}
• 1/2 cup of your favorite salsa
• 1/2 chopped vidella onion
• 1 diced zucchini {feel free to add any other veggies that might strike your fancy}
• 3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1 Tablespoon of cumin
• 2 eggs

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cook your quinoa according to instructions. (I rinsed it, then cooked it in 2 1/2 cups of water with one swanson concentrated stock "pod".) Once the quinoa is cooked, combine in casserole dish (if you've got one with a lid, use it!) with black beans, zucchini, & chopped onion. In a separate bowl combine tomatoes, salsa, 1/2 of your cheese, eggs, & cumin. Stir to combine, then pour over quinoa/veggie mixture. 

Bake on the middle rack, covered, for 25 minutes. Uncover and continue baking until cheese has browned. I turned on the broiler to aid in this process.

I suggest you let it rest once you've pulled it from the oven for a few minutes so it has time to loose a little bit of that molten heat. At this point your house is going to smell amazing.

I decided to serve my Mexican quinoa bake with shrimp tacos. Since we were mid-summer-thunderstorm I quickly sauteed my shrimp in a non-stick skillet stove top. I would have preferred the grill but you know, lighting + grilling = danger. I mixed up a little bit of bang-bang inspired sauce to brush on my cooked shrimp before they landed in the tortilla blanket. Want to try this one too? 

• 2 1/2 Tablespoons of Mayo
• 2 Tablespoons of Sweet Chili Sauce
• 1 teaspoon Sriracha (you can do this part to taste if you don't like lots of spice)
• Small squeeze of lime juice (added bonus, but not 100% necessary)

Stir to combine. Brush on cooked shrimp. Bang. It's really tasty. (This is enough sauce for about 40 shrimp, and will keep for a little bit in your fridge in a sealed container.) 

{yes, that is a giant sized jar of Dukes. yes, that lives in my fridge. hubby + costco w/ bbq partner=trouble}

{Bang-Bang-Esq} Shrimp Taco w/ avocado & sauteed peppers & onions

Watermelon-Blueberry Fruit Salad

Mexican Quinoa Bake

Have I made you hungry?