Quinoa is one of the world’s most popular healthy foods at the moment, and it’s easy to see why – it’s gluten-free, high in protein and contains all nine essential amino acids, as well as being packed with other useful vitamins and minerals. It’s a key ingredient in this filling salad, and balanced out with feta and pear.
SERVES 4
Ingredients
200g quinoa
2 beetroots, peeled and grated
500ml water
1 avocado
2 pears
150g feta
80g rocket or mixed leaves with rocket
salt and freshly ground
black pepper
olive oil, to serve
For the toasted rosemary almonds:
75g blanched almonds
3 sprigs of rosemary
1 tablespoon liquid honey
rock salt
Method
Roast the quinoa in a dry, high-sided frying pan over a high heat for approximately 5 minutes until the seeds begin to pop, take on a brown colour and smell nutty. Stir constantly.
Pour the quinoa into a sieve and rinse them to remove the unhealthy bitter substances. If it has been pre-rinsed you don’t have to do this.
Cook the quinoa and grated beetroot in salted water for approximately 15 minutes until they are soft. Stir once while cooking. Add more water if it boils off.
Toast the almonds and rosemary in a dry frying pan without any fat. Stir in the honey. Plate up and sprinkle with rock salt. Roughly chop the almonds once they have cooled somewhat.
Remove the stone from the avocado and slice the flesh into pieces. Then, slice the pears and crumble over the cheese.
Put the rocket on a plate and then add the other ingredients. Drizzle with a little olive oil and season with black pepper.
30-Minute Vegetarian by Ylva Bergqvist (Hardie Grant, £16.99) Photography © Lennart Weibull
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