Quinoa is a gluten free grain seed of goodness. It works perfectly with this enjoyable dish that takes minutes to prepare and cook.
Ingredients
Serves 5
Prepping: 10 mins
Cooking: 25 mins
- 200g of quinoa
- 500ml of cold water
- 1 tsp of vegan bouillon
- 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 red onion peeled & finely chopped
- 1 courgette peeled & finely chopped
- 1 yellow pepper cored, seeded & finely chopped
- 2 roasted peppers from a jar, drained & finely chopped
- 1 handful of baby spinach leaves
- 12 cherry tomatoes halved
- A pinch of fine sea salt or Himalayan salt
- 100ml of the homemade basil sunflower pesto
For the pesto:
- Blender
- Chopping board
- Small knife or dinner knife
- Citrus juicer
- Handful of fresh basil leaves
- 50g sunflower seeds (toasted makes more flavoursome pesto)
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
- 200ml of homemade oat cream (see recipe below)
- Pinch of fine sea or Himalayan salt
Method
1. Add the quinoa to a medium saucepan and cover with cold water with a tsp of vegan bouillon. For safety, turn the handle of the saucepan inwards on the hob. Bring to the boil on a high heat (takes around 3 minutes) stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Once boiling, lower the heat to very low and put a lid on the pan. Leave for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until all the water is absorbed and the quinoa cooked and fluffy. Set aside to cool.
2. Heat oil in a wok and add the onions, courgette and peppers, stirring with a wooden spoon until everything is soft. This takes three to five minutes.
3. Add in the spinach and tomatoes, stirring well for around two minutes, until the spinach has wilted.
4. Add the homemade pesto and stir in well.
5. Stir in the cooked quinoa with a pinch of salt and mix with the wooden spoon. Leave to cook on a medium heat for three minutes until everything is warm.
6. Once everything is warm, serve in small serving bowls. Perfect for a quick family meal, or portion into small airtight containers for an easy packed lunch option. Enjoy!
