This is one of my favourite recipes… which I designed with my good friend Alex Hobbs, from Loke Herbs, who is a brilliant Medical Herbalist. It makes a great lunch alternative to sandwiches, or can be served up as an accompaniment at a yummy family barbecue!
I just love quinoa, before a barbecue I tend to cook up some quinoa and leave it marinating in the fridge, to serve with some delicious grilled chicken or fish, and the leftovers are great to pack up for lunch when I’m working with clients at my clinic at Rowan House in Norwich.
If you’re looking to lose weight, just use a few tablespoons of cooked quinoa per serving, and add in some Rainbow Coleslaw or cooked Mediterranean vegetables, and some lean protein such as chicken, fish, eggs or beans.
Quinoa is rich in protein, vitamins and minerals and is the food of the Incas that powered them through the Andes! You can now buy quinoa ready cooked – so you can use this instead, but I find the recipe is nicer and fluffier when you cook the quinoa yourself.
Rainbow Quinoa Tabbouleh
Ingredients
- 200g Quinoa
- Half an inch of root ginger
- 4 – 6 peppercorns
- Half a teaspoon of fennel seeds
- Juice 1 – 2 lemons
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- Small bunch chopped mint
- Small bunch flat-leaf parsley chopped
- Small bunch spring onions sliced
- ½ cucumber diced
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds (chopped if you wish)
- Raw vegetables of your choice – e.g. half a carrot, a chunk of red cabbage, a small beetroot
- Salt and Pepper to season
Method:
Rinse the quinoa well and place in a pan with about double the volume of water, alongside the root ginger, peppercorns and fennel seeds. Bring to the boil gently, cover and reduce the heat, simmering gently on a low heat for around 10 minutes until the grain unwraps into a horse shoe shape.
Turn off the heat and leave the quinoa to cool slightly off the heat, with the lid on. Drain any remaining water. You can leave the herbs and spices or remove the ginger and peppercorns if you wish. Season the quinoa with salt and pepper, then stir in the lemon juice and oil. You can leave to cool or stir in the remaining ingredients and serve.
