Quinoa Porridge with Apples

I have already written about quinoa and its unique features, especially important for people who follow plant based diets. And because of the health benefits, I have used quinoa in dishes instead of rice, in salads and even in a cake. But since I never used it for breakfast dishes, I decided to give it a try. 

When I was at university, there was a time when each day I ate my healthy breakfast - "doctor Bircher's muesli". The name of the dish came from a Swiss doctor who served it to his patients in his clinic. The dish is made of porridge oats that are not cooked but soaked in water overnight, grated apple and all sorts of nuts and dried fruit. So I decided to borrow this concept, but use quinoa (cooked) instead of oats. 

Although I am unable to compare health benefits between the two options, one thing is for sure: the quinoa variation is at least as tasty as the oat one, so you can try it and enjoy.

INGREDIENTS (for 1 portion):

1 apple, cored,

a squeeze of lemon juice,

3 tbsp cooked quinoa*,

3 dried figs, chopped,

4 dried apricots, chopped,

a handful of chopped nuts,

1 tsp pumpkin seeds,

a pinch of cinnamon.

METHOD:

1. Grate the apple (with its skin), sprinkle with a squeeze of lemon juice and mix with the cooked quinoa.
2. Add the dried fruit, nuts, seeds and some cinnamon, stir.
3. The porridge can be optionally served with a dollop of yoghurt and some honey.

* The quinoa can be cooked a day earlier as per the following instruction (the rest can be used in salads or the next day):

1 cup quinoa,

2 cups water,

a pinch of salt,

dash of olive oil

Put the quinoa to a fine mesh strainer, rinse it under running cold water rubbing the seeds with each other with your fingers (for at least 1 minute) and drain well. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a pot over a medium heat and fry the drained quinoa for about 1 minute till the rest of water evaporates. Add water, salt and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cook covered for approx. 15 minutes. Take it out from the heat and let it rest covered for 5 minutes more. Fluff the quinoa with a fork.

Subscribe to our Delicious and Healthy Recipes Newsletter

* indicates required

Email Address *

First Name

Last Name

Read More

Quinoa Salad with Raisins and Chickpeas [vegetarian]

When I came across the original recipe for this salad, I straight away knew I was going to exchange the couscous for quinoa. And it is not that I am not keen on couscous – I like it a lot – but using the quinoa turned this salad into a very healthy lunch dish containing complete vegetarian proteins.

But this salad is not only healthy, it is also delicious. It has sweetness of raisins, nutty taste of chickpeas and saltiness of feta cheese. It also contains coriander in two forms: whole seeds that give a crunch and leaves that give wonderful fragrance. This salad can be prepared in the evening and enjoyed for lunch at work or school next day.

INGREDIENTS (2-4 portions):

0.5 cup quinoa,

a drop of olive oil,

1 cup of water,

1 tin chickpeas (or 200g cooked chickpeas),

100g raisins,

2 tsp coriander seeds,

zest of 1 lemon,

2 handfuls of chopped coriander leaves,

200g feta cheese,

Dressing:

3 tbsp olive oil,

2 tbsp lemon juice,

0.5 tsp ground cumin,

Salt and pepper.

METHOD:

1. Prepare the quinoa: put it to a fine mesh strainer, rinse it well (for at least 1 minute) under running water and drain well. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a pot over a medium heat and fry the drained quinoa for about 1 minute till the rest of the water evaporates. Add water, 0.25 tsp salt and bring to boil. Lower the heat and cook for approx. 15 minutes. Take it out from the heat and let it rest covered for 5 minutes more. Fluff the quinoa with a fork.
2. Put to a bowl cooked quinoa, chickpeas, raisins, coriander seeds and leaves, zest of lemon and stir.
3. Mix the dressing ingredients and pour over the salad, stir well, check the seasoning and if necessary adjust.
4. Serve with crumbled feta cheese on top.

This recipe is based on a recipe from a book "Fresh Flavors from Israel" by R. Oliver, O. Pely-Bronshtein, S. Lipa-Angel

Read More

Quinoa Chocolate Cake [gluten free]

When I came across a cake made of quinoa, I couldn’t imagine it would be so good as I had only used it previously for savoury dishes. I could understand using millet: sometimes we do have millet with fruit and honey for breakfast, I even bake a tart with millet. But a cake with quinoa?!

I was so curious that I simply decided to give it a try. The result was surprising and delicious: the cake was very moist and rich and you couldn’t taste the quinoa. It only gave a slight “bite” to the cake but this was in truth an extra value added to its texture.

If a thought of the wonderful taste of this cake hasn’t convinced you yet to bake it, maybe its healthiness will: it contains a super grain but it doesn’t include any flour or butter (I replaced it with healthy rapeseed oil). So what can be better than a piece of an (almost) guilt-free chocolate cake?

INGREDIENTS (for 8-10 portions):

130g quinoa,

250ml water,

dash of olive oil,

80ml milk,

4 eggs,

1tsp vanilla extract,

150ml rapeseed oil,

175g Demerara sugar,

85g cocoa powder,

1.5tsp baking powder,

0.5 tsp baking soda,

0.5 tsp salt.

Icing:

100g dark chocolate

100g white chocolate

6 tbsp milk,

optionally 0.5 tsp beetroot juice (or a few drops of pink food colorant)

METHOD:

1. Prepare the quinoa: put it to a fine mesh strainer, rinse it under running cold water rubbing the seeds with each other with your fingers (for at least 1 minute) and drain well. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a pot over a medium heat and fry the drained quinoa for about 1 minute till the rest of water evaporates. Add water, 0.25 tsp salt and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cook covered for approx. 15 minutes. Take it out from the heat and let it rest covered for 5 minutes more. Fluff the quinoa with a fork. The quinoa has to be dry, in case there is still some water left, transfer it to a strainer and let it drain completely.
2. Preheat an oven to 170 Celsius degrees (fan oven).
3. Grease a 23cm loose-bottom cake tin with oil and line it with baking paper.
4. In a food processor combine together milk, eggs and vanilla extract; add oil and cooked quinoa, whizz again until smooth.
5. Sieve the cocoa, baking powder and baking soda to a bowl; mix it with the sugar and salt, add the quinoa mixture and stir it well.
6. Pour the mixture to the tin and put to the hot oven. Bake for 40 minutes.
7. Make the icing: melt each type of chocolate separately with 3 tbsp of milk in a heatproof bowl over a pan of boiling water (if you would like to get pink icing add the beetroot juice or the colorant to the white chocolate).
8. When the cake is baked, take it out from the oven, leave it in the tin for 10 min. Afterwards put it on a plate and cool. Spread the dark icing and then pour the pink (white) icing in a decorative way.

Based on: Decadent Chocolate Cake by Mel’s Kitchen Cafe.

Read More

Pretty in Pink Salad with Quinoa (vegan)

When my daughter decided to become a vegetarian, I worried how she was going to get complete proteins without eating meat products. So I was happy when I learnt that certain combinations of plant ingredients (e.g. beans & rice, hummus & pita bread, tofu & rice, beans & tortilla, lentils & bulgur, pea & bread) will provide the complete proteins even if not eaten together at the same meal but within the same day. But I was even happier to learn there are actually some types of plant food that by themselves supply us with all essential amino acids, and quinoa is one of them.

So I serve quinoa quite often now and we all do enjoy it a lot. However due to its natural bitterness, it has to be prepared well before cooking to eliminate this slightly nasty taste. Once it’s cooked properly (as per instructions included in the recipe below), it can be used in this yummy and pretty looking pink salad.

INGREDIENTS (4 portions):

1 cup quinoa,

2 cups water,

0.25 tsp salt,

dash of olive oil,

0.5 cup raisins,

0.5 cup walnuts broken into pieces,

1.5 cup pomegranate seeds (from approximately 1 big or 2 small pomegranates),

0.5 red onions finely chopped,

juice from 1 lemon,

2 beetroots (approximately 300-350g) chopped into 1.5 cm cubes,

3 handfuls chopped parsley,

Salt and pepper.

METHOD:

1. Prepare the quinoa: put it to a fine mesh strainer, rinse it under running cold water rubbing the seeds with each other with your fingers (for at least 1 minute) and drain well. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a pot over a medium heat and fry the drained quinoa for about 1 minute till the rest of water evaporates. Add water, 0.25 tsp salt and bring to boil. Lower the heat and cook covered for approx. 15 minutes. Take it out from the heat and let it rest covered for 5 minutes more. Fluff the quinoa with a fork. The quinoa has to be dry, in case there is still some water left, transfer it to a strainer and let it drain completely.
2. While you are waiting for the quinoa to be ready, combine the onion and lemon juice and let it marinate for a few minutes.
3. Combine all the ingredients, add salt and pepper according to your taste and stir gently.

Read More

Baked Autumn Vegetables with Quinoa (vegetarian/vegan)

Everybody in my family loves pumpkins/squashes. In autumn I often cook soups made of roasted pumpkin and when I take it out from the oven, I have to guard the baking tray to ensure I don’t have to quickly come up with another idea for lunch ;-) 

This recipe is based on the favourite roasted squash but I also included here some other vegetables and chanterelles. So apart from sweet pumpkin, we have in this dish nutty parsnip and earthy chanterrelles combined with crunchy pumpkin seeds. The dish could be served with rice or barley but if you prefer to have a vegetarian dish (or even vegan, if you omit the Parmesan) with complete protein (containing all essential amino acids), serve it with quinoa.

INGREDIENTS (4 portions):

1 butternut squash (or pumpkin) weighing 1-1.3kg, peeled and cut into 2-3cm chunks,

200g chanterelles, cleaned,

2 red onions cut into eights,

3 parsnips, peeled and cut into 2-3cm chunks,

8 garlic cloves, peeled,

2-3 tbsp olive oil,

1.5tsp thyme,

1 cup quinoa,

a drizzle of olive oil,

2 cups water or vegetable stock,

2 tbsp toasted pumpkin seeds,

2 tbsp pumpkin seed oil,

1 tbsp white wine vinegar,

salt and pepper,

2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

METHOD:

1. Preheat an oven to 180 Celsius degrees (fan).
2. Put the butternut squash, parsnips, onions and garlic to a shallow oven proof dish and sprinkle it with the 2-3 tbsp olive oil, sea salt, pepper and thyme, mix well (best done with your hands). Cover the dish with a lid (or aluminium foil) and place in the hot oven.
3. After 30 minutes take it out from the oven, add the chanterelles and stir gently. Put the dish back to the oven (uncovered) for another 30 minutes.
4. In the meantime prepare the quinoa: put it to a fine mesh strainer, rinse it well (for at least 1 minute) under running water and drain well. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a pot over a medium heat and fry the drained quinoa for about 1 minute till the rest of water evaporates. Add water or stock, 0.25 tsp salt and bring to boil. Lower the heat and cook covered for approx. 15 minutes. Take it out from the heat and let it rest covered for 5 minutes more. Fluff the quinoa with a fork.
5. When the vegetables are ready serve them on a bed of quinoa, sprinkled with pumpkin seed oil, a dash of white wine vinegar and Parmesan.

Read More