I remember the first time I cooked
quinoa in my mum’s kitchen and she and the rest of the family made fun of me
saying that I was eating ‘bird food’…it seems a century has passed from that
day, as quinoa is now one of the hottest trend in the healthy food challenge.
Technically quinoa is not a true grain, but is the seed of the Chenopodium
or Goosefoot plant. Because quinoa is high in protein and complex
carbohydrates, low in fat, and richer in vitamins and minerals than other
grains, the Andean people consider it an endurance food and include it as a
daily staple. It is used as a grain and substituted for
grains because of its cooking characteristics. Enough to explain why quinoa recipes are everywhere, with porridge for
breakfast, salad for lunch and crumble for dinner.. Anyway I have to admit I
love quinoa.. It is so versatile, healthy, easy to digest and it’s a kind of
ingredient you can discover every time you cook it.. For all the quinoa lovers
be ready: I will drive you through the endless properties of quinoa and show
you its unique, great and amazing flavor.. To start this amazing salad, which
is one of my clients favorite dish. It is easy, nutritious, light and also low
Gi.. What do you want more?Ingredients for 6 quinoa lovers: 350 gr of White Organic Quinoa1 Big sweet potato3 Zucchini2 Brown onions2 Garlic Cloves2 Red Capsicum100 gr SultanasFresh BasilLemon zest8 Spoons of Good quality Extra virgin olive oilTurmericItalian dry herbsSalt and pepper Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them in cubes. Do
the same with zucchini while cut the capsicum in stripes, chop the garlic and
slice the onion. To avoid endless tears refrigerate the onions, it is a great
trick not to make them so armful for your eyes.. Mix all the cut vegetables in
a big baking tray covered with baking paper. Add the oil than toss the
vegetables with your hands, add salt (please get some good quality one such as
Maldon salt flakes, lake salt or Himalayan pink salt.. it makes such a
difference!!), turmeric, pepper, fresh rosemary.Bake for 90 minutes at 180°. Please heat the oven
up before cooking the veggies and mix them up during the cooking process.For the quinoa place it in a medium pan and cover
with cold water. The idea is to fill the pan with 2/3 of cold water and 1/3 of
quinoa.Bring to the boil and allow to cook between 10 and
13 minutes.The quinoa is cooked when you can see the little
white sprout coming out of the grain, but please do not leave it unattended or
it will overcook and lose its unique texture.Once the quinoa is cooked cool it down. Get your
vegetables out of the oven. Mix quinoa and veggies.Give it a nice stir and add a bit more black
pepper, pinch of salt, grated lemon zest, sultanas and chopped basil leaves.Refrigerate and eat within 3-4 days.It is a great lunch alternative, an amazing salad
but most of all a simple but amazing dish.
