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.
INGREDIENTS
250 gr. quinoa, cooked
1 aubergine
2 medium courgettes
2 red peppers
1 small bunch spring onions, sliced
a handful of currants (raisins or sultanas would do)
3 tablespoons pine kernels
200 gr. feta cheese, cubed
olive oil to dress
salt (not too much as the feta cheese is quite salty)
juice of 1 large lemon
1 tbspoon dried oregano or mixed herbs
chopped parsley
METHOD
Cook the quinoa according to instructions on the packet. Let it cool down.
Slice the vegetables quite thickly, brush with olive oil and grill. Leave them to cool down then cube and add to the quinoa together with all the other ingredients. I think this salad is nicer if you let it stand in the fridge for a few hours if not overnight before eating it. The flavours have more of a chance to develop. It’s ideal for a barbecue, with grilled meat or fish.
Oh, avendo un figlio che è stato per un po’ in Perù so cos’è la quinoa e anche in Italia si sta riscoprendo. Ma anch’io la faccio meno di quanto dovrei. UN po’ perché ha lo svantaggio di dover essere sciacquata prima per perdere quell’amarino e a me scappa sempre in giro, lo scolino che ho hai i buchi un po’ troppo grossi. Ma questa idea di farla in insalata con le uvette sembra davvero promettente!