Green Kitchen Recipes: Quinoa salad with almond and mint

‘Moroccan couscous salads have the most wonderful mix of flavours, and sweet raisins, crunchy salted almonds and fresh herbs are an irresistible combination.’

‘We make our version gluten-free by using white protein-rich quinoa, which we cook together with cinnamon. We marinate the courgette  and aubergine ourselves, but for a quicker version you can get them ready-marinated in glass jars from most food stores.’

Serves 4

1 courgette
1 aubergine
2 tbsp cold-pressed olive oil, plus extra for grilling
1 garlic clove
Crushed sea salt
300g quinoa
750ml water
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Juice of ½ lemon
Handful mint leaves
Handful coriander leaves
2 avocados, cut into small dice
3 tbsp brown or golden raisins
1 pomegranate, seeds scooped out and separated
100g toasted, salted almonds

Method

1 To marinate the vegetables, preheat the oven to 200ºC (400ºF/gas mark 6). Slice the aubergine and courgette into thin rounds. Place on a grill rack in a baking tin and use a pastry brush to brush them lightly with oil on both sides. Sprinkle with salt and roast in the oven until soft and slightly burned on the edges, about 15 minutes – keep an eye on them, as they burn easily.

2 Remove the vegetables from the oven and place in a bowl. Add the olive oil and garlic and set aside.

3 Rinse the quinoa well in water and drain. Place in a saucepan and add the measured water, ground cinnamon and teaspoon of salt. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat immediately. Cover and simmer gently for 15-20 minutes.

4 To assemble the salad, place the cooked quinoa in a large serving bowl and leave to cool slightly. Add the lemon juice, herbs, roasted vegetables, avocado and raisins and toss until everything is well combined.

5 Garnish with the pomegranate seeds and almonds. Serve or store in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-5 days.

Quinoa salad recipe extracted from Green Kitchen Travels by David Frenkiel & Luise Franklin (Hardie Grant, £25). For more recipes from Green Kitchen Stories, visit www.greenkitchenstories.com.

Summary

Recipe Name

Quinoa salad with almond and mint

Author Name

Healthy Magazine

Published On

2015-02-04

Cook Time

35M