Quinoa Salad

Quinoa - easily one of the most diverse ingredients, whether sweet or savoury,

which you should introduce in your diet right now! Packed full with protein, this little seed is an excellent source of fibre, manganese and phosphorus.

When cooked by itself, it doesn't have much flavour to it - meaning that it will almost act like a sponge, eager to soak up virtually anything you pair it with!

Salads, soups, fritters, porridge - you name it!

It's also one of those bulky ingredients like rice, which you can cook more of in advance

(or save if you have leftovers) then set in the fridge and use with anything that you like during the week. My recommendation for the cooking method is to have a 2 : 1

water : quinoa ratio, with the heat on low / medium, making sure to cover with a lid, but not completely, leaving you with a fluffy textured Quinoa!

Let's check out the recipe, shall we?

INGREDIENTS (serves 4)

200g quinoa, washed and drained
400 ml water
2 medium sweet potatoes, cut into cubes
1 aubergine, cut into cubes
100g canned black beans, washed and drained
3 - 4 spring onions, sliced thinly
1 small red onion, minced
3 - 4 garlic cloves,
mix of fresh herbs ( I used rosemary, sage & thyme)
3 large sweet pointed peppers
handful of parsley
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (or any other vinegar that you have on hand)
3 - 4 tablespoons olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

First things first, we have to prep the peppers for the relish!

This part is completely optional. However, I adore roasted peppers, I also had some in the fridge, so I thought I would just give them a quick char, and prepare them into a mini salad if you will.

Wash and pat them dry, then brush with some olive oil, and set on a foil lined baking sheet.

Broil for 15 - 20 minutes, in a 220°C oven, checking them frequently and turning sides once charred. When they get evenly charred, set them aside to cool. These are quite literally scorching hot.

After 5 - 7 minutes, peel of the skins, and remove the seeds. Cut them intro thin strips, then into small cubes, and transfer in a small mixing bowl. Be gentle with them, since they are pretty delicate once cooked. Finely chop up one small clove of garlic (or use a garlic press) , and your parsley. Add them to the cubed peppers along with the vinegar, a drizzle of olive oil, and some salt & pepper.

This mini relish is one of those dishes which gets even better the more in advance you prepare it. It would be best to make it a day before, giving the flavours enough time to infuse the pepper, but it works just as well as is! My advice honestly is to make a big batch, keep it in a jar in the fridge, and you're good to go whenever!

Back to our recipe! Rinse your quinoa thoroughly, then place in a pot with the water. Cook for around 10 - 12 minutes on a low / medium heat, stirring it with a fork once in a while. When cooked thoroughly, transfer to a large mixing bowl to cool down.

While the quinoa is cooking, you can chop up your roasting veggies. Cube up your aubergine and sweet potato, then transfer to a mixing bowl. You don't necessarily have to peel the sweet potato skins, since they contain a lot of nutrients - just make sure to scrub off all the dirt before chopping. Add in your fresh herbs, 2 - 3 smashed and roughly chopped garlic cloves, olive oil, salt & pepper, then give them a toss to combine evenly. Set on a foil lined baking sheet, roast in the oven for 25 - 30 minutes on 220°C, or until the edges get lovely and brown.

As for the rest of the vegetables, chop those up as well, rinse and prep your beans, then leave aside to chunk them all in at the end.

Once your sweet potato and aubergine chunks are roasted, remove them from the oven to cool off slightly before assembling the salad - which is essentially combining all your ingredients up with the quinoa. Add in some more olive oil, taste to check if needs more salt & pepper, or some lemon juice for the acidity, and you're done friends!

Oh - and don't forget to top up with the pepper relish :) !