Gluten free, complete protein, high in fibre, magnesium and iron, Quinoa really is a superfood. My mum had an obsession with quinoa many years ago and I remember not enjoying that phase much as I couldn’t see why she would swap my evening pasta dish with these sprouted grains that tasted weird when cooked in vegetable stock. I have tried different ways to eat quinoa and came to the conclusion that except if you REALLY can’t eat pasta/couscous, there is no point trying to replace them with quinoa: it would be instant disappointment. Cooked and cooled however, and there you have, to my taste, a worth substitute to a pasta salad. Even better than this in fact, quinoa is crunchy and absorbs dressing without turning soggy like pasta would. The ingredients used in this recipe are all in season and found everywhere. Slightly bitter quinoa grains, tangy orange, fresh parsley, sweet raw beetroot, salty halloumi and a splash of acidic lemon juice= Great flavours and great colours going on in this dish.
Quinoa salad with beetroot, orange and frilled halloumi
Ingredients
for 2 big salads
- 1 cup of quinoa
- a medium beetroot, thinly sliced
- 1 orange, segment only
- half a block of halloumi
- a handfull of salad/spinach
- a handfull of parsley
- juice of half a lemon
- 1 tbsp of olive oil
- salt/pepper
Cook the quinoa in 2 cups of boiling salted water, then drain and leave to cool. Chop the parsley and salad very thin and toss with the quinoa. Add the beetroot slices, the orange segments, the seasoning and mix together. Heat the halloumi on a griddle pan, add on top of the salad and serve immediately.
Noémie's kitchen 