Remind yourself of the goodness in one simple bowl of food!
Quinoa salad with olives, courgette, ramiro red pepper and summer greens. Garnished with almonds, toasted sunflower and pumpkin seeds. Drizzled with olive oil and a squeeze of lemon or lime juice.
Did you know quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) was discovered as an edible grain by the Inca's three to four thousand years ago? It is a complete protein containing all 9 essential amino acids and is a suitable alternative for wheat and gluten intolerance and allergies.
In Ayurveda the sweet and grounding qualities of quinoa suit Pitta and Vata constitutions. For Kapha add some spice, like black pepper or chilli peppers. Choose bitter and astringent greens like kale, spinach, broccoli or greens beans to make a delicious summer lunch.
You’ll need
Two saucepans
One frying pan
Slotted spoon
Pestle and mortar or electric grinder
Ingredients
Use organic and seasonal veggies, when you can.
1 cup of quinoa
1 cm root ginger
1 red pepper
1 medium courgette
100g fennel bulb
Tenderstem broccoli
Green beans
Handful of kale
Flaked blanched almonds
Diced Olives
Handful of parsley, tarragon, oregano, chives
Handful of toasted sunflower and pumpkin seeds
Olive oil for dressing
Coconut oil for cooking
Lemon or lime juice
500ml vegetable stock
1 tsp tamari
Himalayan salt
Prepare the vegetables
For a seasonal summer dish choose bitter and astringent organic greens like kale, spinach, broccoli and green beans. Wash them and put to one side.
Dice the ramiro red pepper and sprinkle with a little salt and drizzle of olive oil - place to one side.
Dice the courgette, celery and fennel into small pieces.
Finely diced the root ginger.
Prepare the quinoa
Wash the quinoa in a sieve and then place in a saucepan with 2 cups of stock. Use vegetable bouillon powder or homemade stock and a pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes until the grain is fluffy and the stock has disappeared. Then place the sauce lid on the pan and let it rest of 5 minutes.
Blanch
Bring a sauce of water to the boil and a teaspoon of salt. In a bowl, fill with cold water. In turn blanch the courgettes, green beans, tenderstem broccoli and kale. Scoop out with a slotted spoon and place into the cold water.
Sautee
Add a little coconut oil the a frying pan. When hot saute the celery, fennel and root ginger for 2 minutes, then add the tamari. Bring all ingredients together in one bowl and stir in the chopped fresh summer herbs.
Garnish
Garnish with toasted pumpkin and sunflower seeds and a drizzle of olive oil with a squeeze of lemon or lime (limes for Pitta dosha)!
Serve warm as a side dish with falafel and hummus or enjoy on its own!