Quinoa Recipes

I use Quinoa as a tabouli base because I don't eat wheat. It is really easy to prepare and is remarkably filling - you would think I had learnt by now but I always seem to make too much!

My favourite recipe is to bring a cup of Quinoa to the boil with a cup of water for a little over 5 minutes. Sorry I can't be more accurate but it needs to have a little firmness about it but not hard... This is a particular advantage of Quinoa - you don't have to soak it a day in advance so you can decide to make something with it at the time of the meal.

Then I set it aside to cool and chop up a small onion, a handful of parsley (I prefer continental parsley which I have in the garden) or a handful or fresh coriander leaves. I sometimes include some chopped up tomatoes and the key ingrediet for me is about half a cup of chopped pistachio nuts.

They are a bit annoying to shell first and you can buy them already shelled but make sure you get the unsalted ones. They chop really easily so that part is not a problem.

Once the Quinoa has cooled I toss in all the chopped bits and give is a liberal amount of fresh lemon juice and a smal slurp of virgin olive oil. Stir in together and leave for a little while so the flavours can mix.

I usually serve this with some BBQ prawns or chicken pieces. It does not need anything too elaborate as the flavour is great and, as I said, it is more filling than you realise. The nuts make the difference, I have tried it without them but I always feel that it is a bit thin and "nothing"!

If you are using this for when you have guests then I find it compliments a fresh green salad but that it doesn't work with potatoes particularly well.

You can also add all sorts of variations according to your taste and turn it into a handy and easy to eat snack when out or on the road. Experiment and tell us what you created!