Ricette & Misfatti ↔ Recipes & Misdemeanors

quinoa, grilled vegetables and feta cheese salad

Candi, I don’t know if you are familiar with quinoa or whether it is known in Italy but this grain is fast becoming a popular super food here in the UK. I confess I had never heard of it until a couple of years ago but now I am a convert and try to use it regularly, albeit not  enough as I ought to. For example I sometimes  use it in soups to make them a bit thicker and to give them a bit of a bite but also, more importantly, as an added source of protein (which soups lack) of which quinoa is rich in. If you are not familiar with quinoa it is considered one of the healthiest, most nutritional grains you can get. And it’s gluten free! It originally comes from the Andes. It used to be consumed by the Incas population and was considered to be food from the gods. I’ve done my research on its health properties and there are many! As well as having a high protein content (which makes it ideal to use in a vegetarian diet) quinoa is also packed full of essential minerals and vitamins, particularly vitamin B. It has internal cleansing properties and helps to regulate bowel functions. You boil it  like rice  and once it’s cooked (I warn you: it looks like frog spawn at this stage and doesn’t taste particularly nice!) you can use it in many different ways.  It’s ideal in salads and can be used where you would use cous cous or bulgar wheat, which is basically what I have done here. I addedd feta cheese for some extra interest but if you are on a dairy free diet you could easily do without it. Continue reading ‘Quinoa, grilled vegetables and feta cheese salad’