A decade ago we didn’t hear the word quinoa (keen-wah) quite like we do now, the brilliant seed has made it to the front of the supermarket shelves & for good reason. It is a fabulous source or protein & a great substitute for starchy rice & pasta.

I often make a big pot on the weekend & eat it throughout the week for lunch & dinners, it pairs beautifully with meats, vegetables, herbs & spices.

My Tips For The Best Quinoa:

Wash it well! You can soak it in water if you have the time but a good rinse will get rid of the bitter flavour.
One cup dry quinoa yields about three cups cooked quinoa.
To cook one cup quinoa, you need 1 3/4 cups liquid.

Ingredients:

1 cup of dried quinoa
1 3/4 cups water (or bone broth)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 table spoon olive oil
1 cucumber
3 handfuls rocket leaves
1 hand full of parsley & mint
1 lemon zest & juice
feta cheese

INSTRUCTIONS - guide from “The Kitchen”

Rinse the quinoa. Place the quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer. Rinse thoroughly under cool, running water. Rub and swish the quinoa with your hand while rinsing. Drain.
Toast the quinoa in a saucepan. Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the drained quinoa and cook, stirring constantly, to let the water evaporate and toast the quinoa, about 2 minutes.
Add liquid and bring to a boil. Stir in the water or broth and the salt. Bring to a rolling boil.
Lower heat and cook, covered, for 15 minutes. Turn the heat down to the lowest setting. Cover and cook for 15 minutes.
Let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Remove the pot from heat and let stand for 5 more minutes, covered. Don't peek!
Fluff and eat! Uncover — You should see tiny spirals (the germ) separating from and curling around the quinoa seeds. Fluff the quinoa gently with a fork and serve.

Stir through rocket leaves, sliced cucumber, pumpkin seeds, chopped parsley, chopped mint, lemon zest & juice, good drizzle of olive oil & crumble feta cheese.