Quinoa and Green Bean Salad

This month's cooking club theme was vegetarian, and I picked a dish that was also vegan.  I've been wanting to try out quinoa so I choose this recipe.  It is incredibly easy to make and comes together quite fast.  It reminds me a bit of bulgar that wants to be cous cous.  I found quinoa at Whole Foods and it was in the same aisle as their beans and grains.  The quinoa itself lacked flavor.  It had none, zero, nada.  So, you really need to flavor it up and then it becomes a lovely, healthy, hearty base for a dish or a meal.  This salad is, in fact, quite lovely - I love the silkiness of the quinoa, the crunch of the beans and pecans and the flavor of the mint and lemon.  Of course, part of me thinks it would go great with some meat, buuut, it's vegan by itself!  It was also kind of screaming for some feta to be tossed in, but I'll stay quiet on that one.       

1 1/2 cups green beans, trimmed and chopped into 1/4-inch pieces
2 cups cooked quinoa (just follow the instructions on the box)

1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans
1/2 cup chopped parsley
2 scallions, chopped
2 Tbsp. fresh mint, choppd
3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt and black pepper, to taste (it needs a good amount of salt)

Cook the green beans in boiling, salted water for 2 minutes, until tender but still crunchy. Rinse under cold water, drain and pat dry. Combine with the quinoa, pecans, parsley, scallions, and mint in a large bowl.
Whisk together the oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper. Pour over the salad and toss to blend. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.