Quinoa

In case you haven’t encountered quinoa yet, it is a pseudo cereal that grows near the Andes in South America. By pseudo cereal, I mean that it is grain-like, but it’s technically not a grass like wheat. So I guess it is kinda cheating a little.

Quinoa is very nutritious—it’s full of fibre, protein, vitamins and minerals, including manganese, magnesium and folate. Quinoa’s health benefits are really too long to list here, but the key point is that quinoa is remarkably dense in nutrients, and worth including in your diet.

You can buy quinoa in most grocery stores these days, usually in the health section or near the rice.

We love this simple recipe of Avocado, Tuna and Quinoa Salad

Ingredients:

• 100g Quinoa
• 3 Tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Juice of one Lemon
• ½ Tbsp of white wine vinegar
• 120g tin of tuna
• 1 Avocado, peeled, stoned and cut into chunks
• 200g Cherry Tomatoes, halved
• 50g Feta cheese
• 50g baby Spinach
• 2 Tbsn mixed Seeds, toasted

Method

1.    Rinse the quinoa under cold water. Tip into a saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 mins until the grains have swollen but still have some bite. Drain, then transfer to a bowl to cool slightly.

2.    Meanwhile, in a jug, combine the oil, lemon juice and vinegar with some seasoning.

3.    Once the quinoa has cooled, mix with the dressing and all the remaining ingredients and season. Divide between plates or lunchboxes.