Quinoa Salad
FOR A HEALTHY MEAL, YOU CAN’T GO PAST THIS QUICK BUT SUBSTANTIAL SALAD. LOW IN FAT, HIGH IN PROTEIN, GLUTEN-FREE AND BURSTING WITH FLAVOUR. QUINOA (PRONOUNCED KEEN-WAH) HAS A NUTTY FLAVOUR WITH A SLIGHTLY CHEWY TEXTURE. IT IS BEING CALLED THE NEW ‘SUPER GRAIN’ (EVEN THOUGH IT IS A SEED) BECAUSE OF ITS AMAZING HEALTH BENEFITS. DON’T SKIP THE RINSING. THE QUINOA SEEDS ARE COATED WITH SAPONINS, WHICH IF NOT RINSED GIVES THE QUINOA A BITTER TASTE. WHEN COOKED PERFECTLY, THE QUINOA WILL BE SLIGHTLY TRANSLUCENT, WITH A VISIBLE ‘TAIL’, WHICH IS ACTUALLY PART OF THE HULL.
Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 15 minutes Total time: 25 minutes Serves: 4 Ingredients
1 cup quinoa 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock 50 g sugar snap peas or snow peas 400 g roasted pumpkin 4 handfuls rocket 4 spring onions, finely sliced 1 handful mint leaves, chopped 1 handful flaked almonds, toasted 50 g feta, crumbled
Dressing
2 tablespoons white condiment (white balsamic vinegar) 6 tablespoons olive oil ½ tablespoon of honey
Method
Heat saucepan and add quinoa to toast for a few minutes until it starts to crackle. 82
Peninsula Kids – Autumn 2018
Remove, rinse and then place back in the saucepan. Add stock and bring to the boil. Place a lid on the saucepan, reduce heat to medium–low and simmer for 15 minutes. Don’t lift the lid. When time is up, remove from the heat and stand for a further 5 minutes (without lifting the lid). Allow to cool slightly. Steam peas for 1 minute until they are bright green but still crisp. Drain, fill pot with cold water and drain again to stop them from cooking. To make dressing, shake ingredients in a jar until combined. Taste and adjust to your liking. Toss cooked quinoa, peas, pumpkin, rocket, onion and mint leaves together in a large bowl. Pour dressing over salad and combine. Sprinkle with flaked almonds and feta. Serve cold or warm.
*** Quinoa comes in a range of colours, so experiment a little. White quinoa is softer, while red and black quinoa are slightly crunchy and don’t stick together as much.